ISRAEL BLOCKS REPAIR OF ELECTRICITY LINES TO GAZA

Gaza, 10 Shaban 1436/28 May 2015 (MINA) – The Palestinian electricity distribution company in the Gaza Strip has said that the Israeli authorities are refusing to allow the repair of the main power line feeding the enclave.

In a press statement, a copy of which was received by Anadolu on Monday evening, the company explained that one of the Israeli power lines feeding the Gaza Strip has been disabled since last Thursday. The Israeli army refuses to allow engineers to repair it.

The company pointed out that the power line in question normally feeds Gaza with about 12 megawatts of electricity. The fact that it is broken exacerbates the electricity crisis from which the Palestinians in Gaza are suffering.

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It warned that the continued disruption of power will affect the supply to vital facilities such as hospitals and public services, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

The Gaza Strip needs about 400 megawatts of electricity every 24 hours. At the moment, only 212 megawatts are available, of which Israel provides 120; Egypt provides 32 megawatts, and 60 are provided by the power plant in Gaza.

For the past eight years, the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a major electricity crisis ever since Israel bombed the territory’s only power plant in mid-2006. This has forced the population to live with a daily schedule that includes at least eight hours of power cuts. (T/P002/R04)

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Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)