In a statement regarding the new pipeline, the Israeli army said it "will continue to work in order to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip".

Since the mid-January conclusion of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has transferred 40.17 ML of cooking and heating fuel to Gaza, in line with the PA's demands. Israeli tankers have been bringing the supplies to the Nachal Oz crossing into Gaza, where they have been being pumped into underground tanks on the Palestinian side. Israel itself obtains the vast majority of its energy needs from other countries, and has been importing significant gas supplies from Egypt, following the 2005 15-year agreement which went into effect in 2008.

The decision to depend so extensively on Egypt had been made before a discovery of natural gas deposits off the Haifa coast, whose gas fields are expected to meet Israel's energy needs for 20 years, once they are developed, with a potential value of $US15.5 billion. Israel also currently obtains gas from another deposit located offshore of Ashkelon.

The PA also sought to develop gas deposits in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Gaza, several years ago. This plan involved handing development of the Gaza Marine Field, with $US3.3 billion of natural gas reserves, to the British multinational BG Group. However, Israel, which was to commit to purchase surplus fuel from Gaza, is understood to have vetoed the project so as to prevent the Hamas regime from using the revenue to fund its anti-Israeli activities.