Israel to partially lift Gaza blockade

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Israel will lift some of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip to allow in diesel fuel and medicine.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Monday night that he would allow the delivery of a week’s worth of diesel fuel to run the local power station and 50 trucks of food and medicine on Tuesday.

The blockade was imposed Jan. 17 after more than 130 Palestinian Kassam rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Though Israel denied that international pressure was a factor, a public relations battle surged on Monday over the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Gaza spokesmen warned that hospitals would soon be without power, and water and sewage systems would have no power to run the pumps.

Rocket attacks decreased sharply following the Gaza blockade.

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