(MENAFN) After the UAE provided financing to end a fuel shortage, nearly 20 medical centers in Gaza will fully reopen in the coming days, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

As frustrating fuel shortages meant they were unable to keep generators going, three hospitals and 16 medical centers had stopped offering key services in recent weeks, the health ministry in Gaza said. Gaza receives only a few hours of mains electricity a day, so hospitals and other services depend on on private generators run with fuel provided by the United Nations.

After an emergency UN appeal, the UAE has pledged USD2 million for fuel for the coming year, said Mahmoud Dahar, head of the WHO in Gaza. "We have received an announcement from the UAE that they are going to fund two million, which will make the situation a bit easier for another few months," he said.

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