Gaza, Jun 29 (IANS): After a 46-day ban, the Israeli authorities have allowed shipments of industrial fuel to the Gaza Strip to operate the sole power station in the Hamas-run enclave, Palestinian security sources said.

The sources said that several trucks loaded with fuel entered Gaza on Monday through the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland, announced that fuel shipments, funded by Qatar for the operation of the only power station in the Gaza Strip, were resumed.

In a statement, Wennesland said that the fuel was sent to the Gaza Strip under the previous agreement reached between the UN office for projects services in Gaza and Qatar.

The Israeli media had earlier reported that the government agreed on Sunday night to allow the shipments of fuel to operate the power station following a recent relative calm in the Gaza Strip.