Gaza residents call on authorities to fix energy crisis

Residents of the Gaza Strip urged officials on Saturday to resolve an electricity crisis which has engulfed the coastal enclave. “The electricity crisis in Gaza has been worsening for days without solving the issue by the government. This is unacceptable, we are during winter time and we need to get warmth,” Abdullah Abu Shaban Taleb told Ma'an. The shortage in electricity has been exacerbated by the breakdown of a sea line which has only worked for 20 hours since it was fixed on Nov. 17. Abu Shaban Taleb said that electricity is cut off for more than 8 hours a day and called on officials to immediately address the crisis. Many Gazans have resorted to electric generators to replace the supply from the main electricity grid, although residents complain that they are still being charged for electricity that they do not have access to. “The electricity bill I receive is equal to one of a continuous 24 hours for 30 days straight. Why is the bill so high when the electricity is off and we are unable to turn on the heaters,” a resident named only as Abeer told Ma'an. Electricity company spokesman Jamal al-Dardasawi said the breakdown of an electricity sea line was to blame. He also cited the cold weather as a mitigating factor in the crisis. “In winter time, the consumption of electricity increases which requires an additional amount of energy and that’s what we lack,” he said. The Gaza Strip needs investment and regional coordination in the energy sector in order to better prepare for the future, al-Dardasawi added. Amjad al-Shawwa, director of a local NGO network, called on officials to intervene to improve the situation. He blamed Israel for the shortages and urged international and regional organizations to help supply energy. Last week, the energy authority in Gaza 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 the energy authority Kanaan Ubeid said. 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 had warned that it would cut the supply of water and electricity to the Gaza Strip if rival parties Fatah and Hamas formed a unity government.