'Israel' pauses production at key offshore gas field: Chevron

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Oct 2023 00:16
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The Israeli Energy Ministry says the Israeli security establishment "ordered the temporary suspension of natural gas supplies from the Tamar field."

A worker from the Israeli gas-drill Tamar platform in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (AFP)

The Israeli occupation's Energy Ministry announced on Monday that it has paused production at the Tamar gas field off the occupied Palestinian southern coast and will explore alternate fuel sources to meet its demands.

Chevron, which operates Tamar, said the Israeli government had directed it to shut it down.

According to Reuters, the field is an important supply of gas for "Israel's" power producers and industry.

The Israeli Energy Ministry indicated in a statement that in the wake of the situation, the Israeli security establishment "ordered the temporary suspension of natural gas supplies from the Tamar field."

"The economy's energy needs will be supplied by alternative fuels. The power industry is preparing to use alternative fuels to power its stations," the statement added.

The Israeli occupation's Energy Ministry announced in a separate statement that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has authorized Energy Minister Yisrael Katz to declare a state of emergency in "Israel's" energy industry for the next two weeks if required.

According to the statement, such a step would enable the cabinet to distribute natural gas to Israelis in the event of a supply deficit.

Tamar lies about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) off the coast of the occupied city of Asdoud.

It is noteworthy that the Tamar platform is within the Palestinian Resistance's range of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, while the occupation's largest offshore gas field, Leviathan, continues to operate normally, according to Chevron.

With the start of production at the Tamar field a decade ago, the Israeli occupation became a key gas provider in the Middle East region

According to official figures, Tamar's output increased by 18% in 2022 to 10.25 billion cubic meters (bcm).

Earlier on Monday, Israeli media cited preliminary estimates as saying that the ongoing confrontations between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Resistance will cost "Israel" about 4 billion shekels in one week.

The media said the Israeli occupation Ministry of Finance will allocate billions of shekels to finance the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip to provide a continuous budget response during the confrontations.

Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich acknowledged that the confrontations are expected to have "devastating effects" on the Israeli economy.

This comes on the third day of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood the Palestinian Resistance launched against Israeli occupation crimes and violations.

On Saturday, Palestinian Resistance fighters from the Gaza Strip managed to successfully cross into Gaza Envelope settlements, causing fatalities among Israeli occupation forces and settlers, as well as capturing over 150 Israelis and transferring them to the Strip.

The number of Israelis killed during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood has risen to 900, Israeli media revealed on Monday, adding that injuries have now surpassed 2,600.

However, the news outlets emphasized that the announced death toll is far from the actual numbers as large areas of Gaza Envelope settlements remain unreachable. Previous Israeli news reports said the number of killed Israelis was between 800-1,000 at least.

This comes after Israeli Maariv newspaper reported that over 100 Israeli settlers' bodies were found in the "Be'eri" settlement near Gaza.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the latest figures suggest that the number of Israelis killed has reached 1,000, adding that this number includes 73 soldiers, five of whom are from the Israeli elite Golani Brigade.

The newspaper pointed out that the number of captives held by the Palestinian Resistance exceeds 150 as per a previous Israeli estimate.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that Palestinian medical teams have received in hospitals so far 687 martyrs, including 140 children and 105 women, and 3,726 wounded with multiple injuries.

The Ministry explained that the Israeli occupation committed massacres against 13 families, which led to the martyrdom of 105 of their members, a large number of whom are still under the rubble.

It further added that the Israeli occupation expanded the targeting of medical personnel, health facilities, and ambulances, which caused the martyrdom of five health personnel and the injury of 10 others with multiple injuries. Seven hospitals and health centers were also targeted, causing direct damage to large parts of them.

Earlier, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine reported that more than 90 children were killed at the hands of the IOF since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, which has been ongoing for days.