Palestinian health minister on Tuesday warned that the reducing of fuel shipments to Gaza Stripwill affect health services for the residents.

"The non-humanitarian and harsh siege has aggravated in an unprecedented way after Israel's recent decision to stop providing Gaza with the fuel," said Health Minister Fathi Abu Mughli in a letter to the press and human rights groups.

"This destroys the health system and forms a direct threat on the patients," he said.

According to Abu Mughli, the ambulances, power generators and sterilization facilities are threatened to stop.

In June 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip after routing security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Since then, Israel gradually began to reduce fuel deliveries into the Strip and the crisis deepened in recent weeks. Israel only allows diesel for Gaza power station and cooking gas to enter. Car diesel and Benzene are the most reduced kinds of fuel.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2008)