In Israel, the Supreme Court has OKed an ongoing cutoff of fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip. The cuts have been imposed since October in what Israel calls a response to Palestinian rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns. Palestinians and aid groups have condemned the move as a violation of international humanitarian law. On Sunday, Gaza’s local fuel authority refused a delivery from Israel that was just one-fourth of its needs. The authority said accepting such low supplies would have amounted to endorsing collective punishment. Most gas stations in Gaza are reportedly closed. Hospital patients are at risk as fuel supplies for generators run low. Several patients have died in recent weeks awaiting Israeli approval to leave Gaza for urgent medical care. Palestinian bus driver Nabil Rajab said Israel is deliberately targeting Gaza’s innocent.

Nabil Rajab: “I believe that all of this is a conspiracy against the Palestinians. We do not want to be a victim of Israel. I came to buy fuel, and there isn’t any. How are we going to live? I am a bus driver, and it is the only thing that is still going on. Today our income is stopped. What are we
going to do?”

Israel is also preparing to cut Gaza’s electricity, but the Supreme Court has ordered a delay pending a challenge from several human rights groups.