Urgent calls to end the electricity crisis in Gaza: darkness exhausts families and paralyzes the economy
A report from Gaza documents the worsening electricity crisis in the Strip, with an almost complete power outage and the cost of alternatives reaching record levels, burdening families and paralyzing economic activity. Citizens and experts are calling for urgent international action to force the occupation to restore supplies and allow the entry of fuel and spare parts.
A report from Gaza documents the worsening electricity crisis in the Strip, where over two million people suffer from an almost complete power outage, burdening families and paralyzing economic activity. Citizens and experts are calling for urgent international action to force the occupation authorities to restore the direct line supplies that used to provide the Strip with about 120 megawatts, and to allow the entry of fuel needed to operate the only power plant, as well as spare parts and technical equipment to repair damaged networks. They also appeal to the Egyptian government to resume supplying the Strip via the Egyptian lines that used to provide the southern region with 30 megawatts. Resident Mahmoud al-Maslami from Deir al-Balah says the electricity crisis has become one of the harshest obstacles, noting that the weekly cost of minimum needs exceeds $80, a burdensome amount amid poverty and unemployment. He adds that families are now forced to choose between securing electricity or providing food and medicine. Economic specialist Mahmoud al-Aff explains that the energy crisis directly impacts social and economic dimensions, stressing that reconnecting the cut lines by the occupation is the main focal point. Dr. Maher al-Tabbaa from the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry says the complete power outage has led to a decline in GDP and near-total paralysis in commercial and industrial sectors, raising unemployment rates to over 75%.