Cost of Fuel Exceeds Minimum Wage in Lebanon

Lebanese bank customers hold pictures of the owners of Lebanese banks calling them "the enemies of society", during a protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 11 June 2022. (EPA)
Lebanese bank customers hold pictures of the owners of Lebanese banks calling them "the enemies of society", during a protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 11 June 2022. (EPA)
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Cost of Fuel Exceeds Minimum Wage in Lebanon

Lebanese bank customers hold pictures of the owners of Lebanese banks calling them "the enemies of society", during a protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 11 June 2022. (EPA)
Lebanese bank customers hold pictures of the owners of Lebanese banks calling them "the enemies of society", during a protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 11 June 2022. (EPA)

The price of a 20 liters of fuel crossed the minimum wage in Lebanon for the first time since the eruption of the country's economic crisis.

The cost of fuel reached 700,000 Lebanese pounds, or 25 dollars, on Saturday, while minimum wage stands at 675,000 LL.

The cost of fuel has risen with the rise of the dollar against the pound and surge in fuel prices around the world due to the Ukrainian crisis.

Fuel distributors met on Saturday to address the crisis.

Representative of the distributors, Fadi Abu Shakra blamed the crisis on the rise of oil prices worldwide and the hike in the dollar rate on the Sayrafa platform and black market.

The people will no longer be able to handle the burden with fuel selling at 700,000 pounds, he added.

Despite incurring losses, the distributors have never waned in providing fuel to the people, he stressed.

He revealed that the distributors have requested an urgent meeting with caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayyad to address the difficulties they are facing.

Owners of gas stations are suffering losses due to the great fluctuation in the exchange rate of the dollar to the pound, Abu Shakra said.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."