The UN agency for Palestinian
refugees said today it would have to suspend food distribution in Gaza
after Israel blocked humanitarian supplies from entering the strip.

Israel
also prevented delivery of industrial diesel, which is paid for by the
EU and used for the strip’s sole power plant. Palestinian officials
said the plant, which has already shut down once this week, would have
to close by last night if no more fuel was delivered.

Israeli
officials blamed Palestinian rocket fire out of Gaza. Peter Lerner, a
spokesman for the Israeli defence ministry, said the border crossings
were shut today because of “continued rocket fire and security threats
at the crossings”. For the past week Israel has also stopped
journalists from entering Gaza.

It was not clear if food and fuel
shipments would be allowed in tomorrow. Gaza’s crossings close early
Friday afternoon until Sunday morning.

The UN Relief and Works
Agency (UNRWA), which supports Palestinian refugees and provides them
with regular food baskets, said food distribution would have to stop
from tomorrow. “Our warehouses are empty and our food distribution to
750,000 people will be suspended if we cannot get food in,” said
Christopher Gunness, an UNRWA spokesman.

The renewed fighting and
delayed shipments signal the gradual collapse of a ceasefire in Gaza
between Israel and Palestinian militant groups which had held for
nearly five months. Last week Israel killed six Hamas gunmen in a raid
into Gaza which they said was aimed at destroying a tunnel they feared
would be used to capture Israeli soldiers.

Hamas, and other
militant groups, began firing rockets into southern Israel and have
continued over several days. Israeli troops then killed four Hamas
gunmen in Gaza in an attack yesterday, and Palestinian militants
responded by firing several rockets this morning into southern Israel.

“The
UN has been very clear that we should not hand the agenda over to those
who fire rockets,” said John Ging, head of Gaza operations for UNRWA.

“They shouldn’t dictate whether the crossings are open or not for the civilian population here.”

Israel’s
deputy defence minister, Matan Vilnai, suggested the ceasefire might
yet continue. “Without a doubt, it is faltering, but it isn’t over,” he
told Israel Radio.

Earlier this week the Israeli prime minister,
Ehud Olmert, travelled to an army base near Gaza and warned another
military confrontation was coming.

“The question is not whether
there will be a confrontation,” he said, “but when it will take place,
under what circumstances, and who will control these circumstances.”