Gaza power cuts: 'This is the worst it's ever been'
Power cuts have been an ongoing problem in the besieged Gaza Strip for the past decade, but this week the situation has reached a new low.
Last Sunday, Israel agreed to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) request to further reduce Gaza's electricity by 40 percent, in accordance with the PA President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to reduce the amount of money the PA pays for Gaza's electricity supply.
Currently, Gaza's two million residents receive about four hours of electricity a day and will now have their electricity cut by another 45-60 minutes. Gaza's medical facilities have already have been struggling to operate with limited electricity, depending mostly on generators to provide services for patients.
The news also comes after Robert Piper, United Nations Development and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Palestinian territories, told Al Jazeera via email that Gaza's fuel reserves are expected to be depleted "by the end of June or early July at the latest".
The Gaza Strip requires 450-500 megawatts daily, but currently only receives half that. The reduction in electricity is widely seen as an attempt by Abbas to cripple the rival Hamas leadership in Gaza.
Up until now, Israel has supplied Gaza with 125 megawatts of electricity, or 30 percent of Gaza's electricity needs. Egypt's electricity lines provide only 27 megawatts a day, but they rarely operate.
Gaza's sole power plant, which supplied 60 megawatts, shut down in April after it ran out of fuel. Prior to its shutdown, the PA got rid of a tax exemption on diesel fuel, doubling the price as a result.
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