Dor Alon, the Israeli energy company that sells fuel to Gaza, confirmed Sunday that it had received instructions from the Defense Ministry to reduce shipments. The confirmation followed a report by head of the Palestinian Fuel Agency, Mujahad Saalama, who said that on Saturday, a reduction of 40-50 percent was recorded in the supply of diesel fuel and that there was a decrease of 12% in fuel for the Gaza power station. Nevertheless, Lt. Shadi Yassin, spokesman for Israel's Coordination and Liaison Administration, denied that the planned power cuts had been implemented. "Defense Minister Ehud Barak has not given any order and therefore, there have been no cuts in supplies," he said in a statement.
The reported fuel reduction move drew harsh condemnation from Palestinians in Gaza, which relies on Israel for almost all its fuel and gasoline and more than half of its electricity. "This is a serious warning to the people of the Gaza Strip. Their lives are now in danger," said Ahmed Ali, deputy director of Gaza's Petroleum Authority, which distributes Israeli fuel shipments to private Palestinian companies. "The hospitals, water pumping station and sewage will now be affected by the lack of fuel."