Israel cuts fuel supplies to Gaza Strip

(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Israel promised to cut fuel shipments to the Gaza Strip if the area's Hamas rulers didn't put an end to months of Palestinian rocket attacks. They kept that promise today and ordered Dor Alon, the Israeli energy company that sells fuel to Gaza, to reduce shipments.

Palestinians in Gaza rely on Israel for nearly all their fuel and gasoline and more than half of their electricity. The Israeli plan has drawn harsh criticism from human rights groups and the international community, which believe the sanctions amount to collective punishment.

In the photo above, Palestinians examine the rubble of a house after an explosion yesterday in the southern Gaza Strip that killed two women and a 4-year-old girl. The Israeli military denies carrying out an operation in the area and Palestinian police believe explosives being handled by militants accidentally exploded.

For more on the fuel crunch in the Gaza Strip, read this report by Sarah El Deeb from Gaza City, Gaza Strip.

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