Israel and Palestine News Story

04 July 2009 15:34 BST

Gaza blockade temporarily eased

Fuel supplies have entered the Gaza Strip for the first time in almost a week after Israel eased a lockdown on its borders.

There has been no power in Gaza since Sunday evening, when the territory's last plant was forced to shut down.

But amid growing international concern, the Jewish state allowed two trucks carrying cooking gas and three with diesel for generators to pass through the Nahal Oz border, east of Gaza City.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel said the supplies "should be enough for the power plant to run for a week".

"We will continue to assess the situation and act according to what's happening on the ground," he told Al Jazeera.

The lockdown in Gaza was imposed by defence minister Ehud Barak following an increase in rocket attacks into Israeli territory.

At least 37 people, mostly militants, are thought to have died in a week of reprisal raids, while up to ten Israelis have been wounded from continuing rocket fire.

But the number of rockets being fired into Israeli territory has dropped considerably since Thursday, observers say.

Yesterday the European Union accused Israel of the "collective punishment" of Gazans, while the United Nations has already warned the blockade is making it impossible to distribute food aid, which four-fifths of Gaza's 1.5 million residents depend upon.

Today's temporary easing of the border lockdown may change the focus of a UN security council meeting on the issue scheduled for later today.

But the renewed bloodshed and subsequent blockade has led to serious doubts over George Bush's commitment to find a solution to the Middle East peace process before the end of 2008.

"Talk of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians flies in the face of the green light being given to the attacks and blockade," a statement from the Syrian foreign ministry said.