RAMALLAH, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine Robert Piper said Thursday that the UN has decided to allocate 2.5 million U.S. dollars to cover the urgent needs in Gaza Strip.
According to a press statement by Piper, the allocation will mainly cover fuel supply to maintain operation of nearly 190 health, water and sanitation installations, as well as providing essential medical equipment and some energy and agriculture related supplies.
The Gaza Strip has been suffering for four consecutive months due to critical energy crisis, where power supply to households and services barely covers 25% of their needs, the statement said.
Last July, humanitarian organizations issued a serious warning and a priority intervention list to respond to the current crisis, appealing for 25 million U.S. dollars, but only 30 percent of that amount has been secured so far, according to official data.
The coastal Gaza enclave has been under Israeli imposed siege since Islamic Hamas movement seized control over it in mid 2007.
In addition, Israel launched three large scale military offensives against Gaza Strip; the first being in December 2008, the second in November 2012 and the latest was in the summer of 2014.
This has led to record levels of poverty and unemployment in Gaza as well as a severe shortage of basic services, particularly in energy and potable water.
