The Israeli Security Cabinet approved, Sunday, a 35 per cent reduction of the electricity supply to Gaza Strip.
Gaza residents have electricity for less than six hours a day, now, due to the 10-year-old Israeli-Egyptian and internationally-backed siege.
After this reduction, each household will have less than two hours of electricity per day.
Usually, Qatar and Turkey pay for the fuel of the sole electricity plant in Gaza, which provides a couple of hours every day.
Due to the current diplomatic crisis between the Gulf States and Qatar, it is not clear whether Qatar would renew its payments or not.
Chief of Staff of the Israeli army Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, Military Intelligence Directorate Head Major General Herzi Halevi and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the occupied territories, Major General Yoav Mordechai, briefed the Israeli ministers on the situation in Gaza and warned of deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
Qatar is currently the main financer of civilian activity in the Gaza Strip, according to Days of Palestine. If this support stops because of the Gulf nations’ boycott against Doha, the humanitarian situation in the Strip could deteriorate, leading to possible military escalation as well.
According to the briefing given to the ministers, neither Egypt nor Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to come to the aid of the Gazans, and Israel is left with no choice but to act with extreme caution to prevent the situation from escalating.
05/29/17 PA: No Agreement on Gaza Electricity Crisis
