UN refugee body says to suspend operation in Gaza in 48 hours

GAZA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced Monday the suspension of its humanitarian operations in Gaza within 48 hours.

In a statement on the social media platform X, Thomas White, UNRWA operative director in Gaza, said the agency's humanitarian operations would be suspended within 48 hours as a result of the running out of fuel.

"This morning, two of our main water distribution contractors stopped working -- they simply ran out of fuel," said the UN official, noting that 200,000 people would be deprived of drinking water.

Mentioning that "over the past three weeks, after close coordination with the Israeli government, UNRWA managed to access a large tank of fuel in Gaza on the border with Egypt," the official said, complaining, "But this tank is now empty."

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli territory, to which Israel responded with massive airstrikes, ground operations, and punitive measures, including a siege on the Gaza Strip with supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and other necessities being cut off.