Israel’s war cabinet has agreed to allow 70,000 liters of fuel a day into the southern Gaza Strip under U.S. pressure, a senior State Department official said Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks with the Israelis. The measure is intended to ease a humanitarian crisis as existing stocks of fuel run out. Most of the fuel — 60,000 liters a day — is earmarked for basic humanitarian needs across the southern part of Gaza, including hospitals, the official said. The remainder is intended for Paltel, a telecommunications company that maintains cellphone and internet services. The territory is under a near-total communications blackout amid shortages, though Jawwal, a Palestinian communications company, announced a partial restoration of service Friday. Israel’s war cabinet had announced earlier Friday that it would permit at minimum a shipment of 60,000 liters to meet acute needs.
