Israel menace de couper l’électricité dans la bande de Gaza - Maan

Official : Israel deliberately disconnects Gaza electricity
28/11/2011 14:07

Palestinians receive food aid from the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency in Gaza. (MaanImages/Hatem Omar)
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Palestinian energy authority in the Gaza Strip on Monday accused Israel of deliberately disconnecting the main electricity grid to the coastal enclave as part of a « punitive policy. »

“The Israeli occupation uses security pretexts to justify disconnecting a grid which provides 14 megawatts to the northern Gaza Strip," head of energy authority Kanaan Ubeid said.

He added that electricity had been cut off to the north for 9 days.

The current electricity crisis in Gaza is also being caused by the cold weather, which has seen a surge in energy use, and maintenance works being carried out by Swedish engineers, Ubeid added.

Israel continues to supply the Gaza Strip with water and 70 percent of its electrical power, the rest being supplied by neighboring Egypt or local power plants.

Israel warned on Saturday that it would cut the supply of water and electricity to the Gaza Strip if rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas form a unity government.

AFP contributed to this report