Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli authorities prohibited the transfer of cooking gas into the besieged Gaza Strip on Sunday, while limited quantities of industrial diesel will be shipped through the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to Muhammad Abadla, spokesman for the Gaza union of gas stations owners.

On Friday the head of the union, Mahmoud Ash-Shawwa, stated that cooking gas stations had been closed because Israel had not allowed any in for 25 days.

He appealed to caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to contact Israel and the international Quartet to persuade Israeli authorities to resume shipping cooking gas into Gaza.

The cooking gas crisis in Gaza started approximately one month ago when Israeli authorities decided to use the Kerem Shalom crossing to transport cooking gas instead of the usual Nahal Oz fuel terminal.

Experts say the Kerem Shalom crossing lacks the capacity to ship enough gas to the Gaza Strip.