The head of the Palestinians’ foreign investment trust said today that President Mahmoud Abbas has authorised the release of funds to pay debts owed to an Israeli fuel company to get gas flowing in West Bank and Gaza pumps within days.

Israel, pressured by international alarm over a brewing Palestinian humanitarian crisis, has agreed to release millions of pounds in funds it has withheld from the Palestinians and is considering easing restrictions on the transport of goods between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians were lining up at petrol stations for a few more gallons before fuel runs out. Their government couldn’t pay the bill, and so the Israeli petrol company cut off supplies, a direct result of economic sanctions aimed at the Hamas-led regime.

Dor Energy, the Israeli company that provides fuel to the Palestinian areas, is cutting off supplies due to growing debts, Israel and Palestinian officials said today.