Israel to allow fuel into Gaza after power cuts

GAZA, Aug 18 (Reuters) Israel plans to open a Gaza Strip crossing for several hours to let fuel be transported to the territory, the army said today, a day after power generators there shut down due to a fuel blockade.

Palestinian officials had said up to 400,000 Gaza residents faced the possibility of having no electricity after the area's main power plant shut off three of its four main generators on Sunday. It was unclear how many people were affected.

Israel supplies most of Gaza's electricity as part of past interim peace deals but started to cut off fuel supplies to the territory after the Islamist group Hamas took it over in June, citing security concerns in opening border crossings.

Hamas and other militant factions have fired thousands of rockets into Israel from the territory.

On Wednesday, Israel stopped allowing fuel vehicles to pass through to Gaza following security alerts, Israeli media said.

An army spokesman said the Nahal Oz crossing would be open for several hours tomorrow to allow fuel to be transported.

Derar Abu Sissi, director of the Gaza power plant, said yesterday there were no longer any fuel reserves in the territory to produce electricity for its 1.5 million residents.

REUTERS SKB RAI1817