Gaza suffers from severe shortage of cooking gas: official

The Gaza Strip is suffering from shortage of cooking gas due to the delay of delivery from Israel, Yasser Hamada from the Petrol Station Owners Association said Saturday.

The reduction of gas shipments coincides with the winter, during which the demand of gas increases, said Hamada, adding that most of Gaza's gas stations are closed on Saturday.

For two months, Israel has been allowing only 80 tons of gas in per-day, while Gaza needs about 250 tons every day, Hamada said.

So far, contacts with the Israeli authorities to increase the shipments of gas "brought no fruits," added Hamada.

In June, Israel decided to ease Gaza blockade after global criticism that followed its lethal raid on an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Now, most of civilian materials and goods could enter the enclave, but construction materials like steel, gravel and cement are still banned.

Source:Xinhua