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Last update - 21:08 06/01/2008
IDF allows transfer of vital medicine into the Gaza Strip
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Gaza, power cuts

The Israel Defense Forces approved the transfer of vital supplies of medicine into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, following a request from the World Health Organization.

The medicine, for the treatment of cancer, joint ailments, and kidney diseases was brought into the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing.

The WHO also transferred a truckload of antibiotics and anesthetics through the Kerem Shalom Crossing in south Gaza, per the request of the Palestinian Health Ministry.
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Col. Nir Peres, who heads coordination with the Palestinians at the Erez Crossing, said Sunday that "the medicine and medical equipment are constantly transferred to Gaza in an orderly and continuous manner."

"All requests by the international organizations and the Palestinians to bring in medicine through the Kerem Shalom and Erez Crossings are dealt with immediately and given high priority," he said.

The transfer of the medicine was carried out simultaneously to IDF operations in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, in which at least five Palestinians were killed and five soldiers were wounded.

Palestinian official: Gaza to cut to partial power due to shortage
Palestinians across the Gaza Strip will have their electricity cut for eight hours every day beginning Sunday because of shortages due to Israeli fuel cutbacks aimed at pressuring the territory's Hamas rulers, Palestinian officials announced.

"Over the past few months, Israel has cut fuel shipments to Gaza's only electric plant nearly in half," said Kanan Obeid, chairman of Gaza's energy authority. Gaza now has only 35 percent of the power its 1.5 million residents need, Obeid said.

"We are facing a shortage, because the fuel needed is not there, so we have decided to reduce the amount of electricity that we supply and to have a gradual program, starting from [Sunday], of cutting the electricity for eight hours every day," Obeid said.

"The average is eight hours of cuts a day, but some areas of Gaza City it reaches 12 hours a day," he added.

Israel is blockading Gaza, which is controlled by the Islamic Hamas, in an attempt to halt near-daily rocket barrages fired from Gaza into Israel by militants. The decision to begin cutting back fuel was made late last year, though an electricity reduction has been held up by the Supreme Court.

Israel supplies all of Gaza's fuel and 60 percent of its electricity. Even before the latest cutback, power blackouts were common in the territory because Israel Defense Forces strikes have knocked out electrical transformers.

Israel decided to send a stern message to the terror groups in Gaza, in the wake of continued rocket attacks, that "we will take all measures necessary to defend our citizens," government spokesman David Baker said Sunday. "These measures are non-lethal and are geared to exerting pressure on the terrorists to cease these attacks."

Human rights groups have criticized the Israeli moves, saying they needlessly harm civilians.

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  • High Court orders state to delay planned power cuts to Gaza
  • PA seeks int'l intervention as Gaza power cuts imminent
  • IDF: Gaza fuel cuts don't violate humanitarian duty
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      1.   Does anyone know of any country that supplies its enemies 13:11  |  Nahum 06/01/08
      2.   Turn off the lights and water 15:45  |  Petra 06/01/08
      3.   Collective Punishment from Zionistan 15:56  |  POP 06/01/08
      4.   Human Rights Groups 15:58  |  Jon 06/01/08
      5.   Human Rights Groups 16:00  |  Jon 06/01/08
      6.   we have turned into worse than what was done to us 16:13  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 06/01/08
      7.   why not cut it all ? 16:17  |  alan 06/01/08
      8.   Iran will supply power if Israel not strangling Gaza 16:41  |  1 state scitscat 06/01/08
      9.   It`s too much, it`s too far 16:44  |  V 06/01/08
      10.   gaza=mila 18 17:16  |  amir 06/01/08
      11.   Burn Your Qassams For Power 17:25  |  Yishai Kohen 06/01/08
      12.   Way Over Due 18:03  |  Ron 06/01/08
      13.   Delighted. 18:30  |  Uzziel 06/01/08
      14.   Well, I never thought I`d agree with 18:56  |  sh 06/01/08
      15.   say thank you hamas 18:57  |  vik 06/01/08
      16.   Looking forward to leave in an Islamic Republic 19:14  |  Dutch 06/01/08
      17.   POOP 19:18  |  Tex 06/01/08
      18.   Its Time To Send Gaza Back To The Stone Age 19:19  |  Kipperraes 06/01/08
      19.   1 State Wannabe Psycho 19:21  |  Tex 06/01/08
      20.   1 state you`re one of those that doesn`t know how to read 19:29  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 06/01/08
      21.   sh 19:33  |  Iz Ray Leigh 06/01/08
      22.   PALS and Supporters have very small brains. 20:06  |  R 06/01/08
      23.   #6 VOICE of MOSHIACH))) - a fake 20:14  |  Adrian de Klerk 06/01/08
      24.   23. arian? you will let us know when the `real moshiach` comes? 20:25  |  edge of seat 06/01/08
      25.   #8 Blokade etc... 20:31  |  Ben 06/01/08
      26.   #10 Amir 20:31  |  * BEN JABO 06/01/08
      27.   Another Hamas victory for the Pals!!! 20:34  |  Lynn 06/01/08
      28.   *3 POP - COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT 20:39  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 06/01/08
      29.   #8 1 state scitscat COME TO REALITY 20:41  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 06/01/08
      30.   # aMIR HAVE BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY 20:53  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 06/01/08
      31.   Get off your moral high horse POP . . . 21:11  |  hebro 06/01/08
      32.   Again Israel saves her enemy 22:41  |  HIlda 06/01/08
      33.   hmmm--1 state 22:57  |  Mark T 06/01/08
      34.   Nahum, Post 1: Hear Hear! 23:02  |  AH 06/01/08
      35.   `pop` # 3 on the transvaluation of values 23:08  |  frenz 06/01/08
      36.   Churchill says, "said medication to Germany" - a sad joke! 23:14  |  redmike 06/01/08
      37.   #31 Hebro the palestinians did all that? 23:35  |  huh? 06/01/08
      38.   #32 HIlda `kill kill kill` 23:38  |  sugestion 06/01/08
      39.   My heart strings aren`t being tugged... 23:55  |  Richard S 06/01/08
      40.   #32 Hilda. 00:28  |  Maureen Ann 07/01/08
      41.   Medicine for the terrorists. 00:34  |  Stephen. 07/01/08
      42.   #10 Amir, I like Uris too... 00:58  |  MaryRose 07/01/08
      43.   #8 R U Nuts? 01:24  |  MaryRose 07/01/08
      44.   #38 `sugestion" 01:35  |  another suggestion 07/01/08
      45.   39. you are a hatefull little man stephen 01:46  |  gawd! 07/01/08
      46.   The holy victim will survive .. 02:31  |  Akram Zekaria 07/01/08
      47.   36# redmike : Churchill bombed Dresden 02:41  |  Akram Zekaria 07/01/08
      48.   #31 huh? 03:22  |  * BEN JABO 07/01/08
      49.   Hey POP 03:41  |  leo 07/01/08
      50.   AID to Hamas? 03:54  |  Lookin good 07/01/08
      51.   I hope these packages don`t contain explosives material 04:27  |  Marwan مروان خوري 07/01/08
      52.   Instead of rockets and explosives perhaps Hamas should smuggle 04:29  |  Marwan مروان خوري 07/01/08
      53.   Medical Supplies - Serious Questions 04:31  |  Shlomo 07/01/08
      54.   #8 1state 04:53  |  danny 07/01/08
      55.   hamas sacrificing welfare for terror 05:06  |  Adrian de Klerk 07/01/08
      56.   #1 Nahum, I can name a number of them 06:18  |  Johnboy 07/01/08
      57.   Johnboys insipid comparisons 06:38  |  Mark T 07/01/08
      58.   #49 Johnboy Pretending he is in Australia 07:37  |  * BEN JABO 07/01/08
      59.   #47 - that`s right. Germany surrendered and no longer talks war! 07:53  |  redmike 07/01/08
      60.   #57 I don`t think so, Mark T 10:13  |  Johnboy 07/01/08
      61.   #57 An apt point, Mark T 10:25  |  Johnboy 07/01/08
      62.   #59 A nonsense, BEN JABO 10:34  |  Johnboy 07/01/08
      63.   #58 This is even more ludicrous, BEN 10:46  |  Johnboy 07/01/08
      64.   #57 Johnboy - pretending he is in Australia 12:02  |  * BEN JABO 07/01/08
      65.   #63 Johnboy - still pretending he is in Australia 12:06  |  * BEN JABO 07/01/08
      66.   EXPLOSIVES DISGUISED AS EU SUPPLIES 17:41  |  * BEN JABO 07/01/08
      67.   #65 Make up YOUR mind, BEN JABO 03:18  |  Johnboy 08/01/08
      68.   #64 Whole lotta nothing here, BEN 03:29  |  Johnboy 08/01/08
      69.   #67 Johnboy - I have made up my mind 04:21  |  * BEN JABO 08/01/08
      70.   #69 Here is your problem, BEN JABO, right here.. 07:02  |  Johnboy 09/01/08
      71.   MUSLIM BROTHERSHELP LOL LOL LO 06:18  |  TOBIA 22/01/08