EXACERBATION OF ELECTRICITY CRISIS IN THE GAZA STRIP

Rafah, 1 Dhulhijjah 1436/14 September 2015 (MINA) – Gaza Power Plant (GPP) halted one of its power generators and re-applied the Gaza Strip’ electricity schedule of 6 hours supply and 12 hours blackout due to lack of fuel.

The electricity distribution company said in a statement that the GPP was forced on Saturday in coordination with the Palestinian Energy Authority to stop a generator in its plant due to the lack of diesel enough to run that generator because of the Israeli closure of the crossing points which prevents the entry of sufficient amounts of industrial diesel.

The company added that the power outage coincides with the failure of all Egyptian lines feeding southern areas of the Gaza Strip with diesel, which worsened the electricity crisis, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The company appealed all parties, including the UN and international human rights institutions, to pressure the Israeli occupation in order to allow sufficient quantities of industrial diesel to the power station.

It warned that the insufficient power supply from the three sources (Egypt, Israel and the GPP) will have a dramatic impact on citizens.

Citizens of Rafah, in southern Gaza, staged several mass protests and demonstrations against the crisis of power outages.(T/P008/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)