Gaza, MINA – Gaza Electricity Distribution Company has estimated losses of $450 million across the sector over the past 14 months, the Palestinian Information Center has reported. The figure is understandable given Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and the difficulty in documenting all the losses, Middle East Monitor reported.
The electricity restoration process will take place in several stages, the company said, with the first stage expected to take six months if the necessary equipment is available.
According to Mohammad Thabet, the company’s Director of Public Relations and Media, up to 90 percent of its buildings and equipment have been completely or partially destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces. The destroyed equipment includes trucks and cranes that are essential for network repair and expansion work.
At least 68% of the electricity network at low and medium voltage levels, as well as a 100% loss in the operation and control sector, in addition to equivalent losses in the commercial sector of companies in Gaza.
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The process of restoring electricity supply after the war, Thabet said, will begin with rebuilding lines for essential and vital services, but he stressed again that the necessary equipment must be allowed into the Gaza Strip before that can be done.
The estimated losses are limited to the corporate sector in Gaza, while there are no clear losses related to the energy sector concerning production, especially in the only power plant located near the Wadi Gaza area, which is constantly targeted by the occupation state.
The former Defense Minister of the occupation state, Yoav Gallant, announced last October that he would cut off electricity supply to Gaza completely, and cut off the fuel supply that powers the only power plant, turning the Gaza Strip into a completely dark area just days later.
The electricity supply has not been restored, although Israel has a legal obligation under international law to provide basic necessities to the people living under its military occupation.
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The extremely limited electricity supply over the past fourteen months has come from alternative sources such as solar energy and a few emergency diesel generators, depending on the availability of fuel to run them.
The power outages in Gaza have affected 2.4 million Palestinians, with every aspect of life negatively affected. The health sector in particular has been hit hard by the lack of electricity and sufficient fuel to run the emergency generators.
Even before Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, there had been recurring energy crises due to the lack of spare parts for repairs, which have been blocked by the occupation state’s 18-year blockade. Electricity supplies from Egypt have been cut off for years. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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