Red Crescent says less than half of its emergency vehicles operational in Gaza

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) - Less than half of emergency vehicles run by the Palestinian Red Crescent are operational in Gaza due to fuel shortages, the IFRC humanitarian network said on Friday.

Of 53 vehicles in total, 23 remain operational after aid supplies into Gaza, including fuel, were halted in early March, IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa told reporters in Geneva.

"It is having a devastating impact. If an ambulance doesn't have gasoline fuel then there are entire communities that are calling the emergency services and are not getting any answer," he added.

Palestinians with everyday health needs as well as those injured by a renewed wave of Israeli airstrikes on the enclave are being impacted by the reduction in vehicles, the IFRC said.

After two months of relative calm, Israel has effectively abandoned a ceasefire, launching a new all-out air and ground campaign against Gaza's dominant Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The first day of resumed airstrikes, on Tuesday, killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the 17-month-old conflict, according to Gaza's health authorities.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Ludwig Burger and Rachel More)