Israel’s National Security Agency announced that the war cabinet agreed to allow two tankers of fuel to enter the Gaza Strip every day upon the request of the United States. The fuel will be used to prevent increasing epidemics, which also threaten Israeli soldiers in the region, and to restore communication facilities, said the agency.

According to an official from the US State Department, the agreement was accepted in principle weeks ago, but it was not implemented because Israeli officials reasoned that the fuel in the south of Gaza had not yet run out and they wanted to negotiate for prisoners.