(AFP) - Dozens of Gazans protested, Monday, over ongoing electricity shortages, the latest in a series of demonstrations against the Hamas authorities there. Power shortages in the enclave have occurred repeatedly in recent weeks, with homes in Gaza City typically getting around four hours a day, rather than at least eight normally. Residents in other cities and refugee camps are getting less than that.
A series of protests against the Hamas-run electricity company have been met by police forces, with a number of arrests, according to an NGO. The United Nations says the shortages are the result of a range of factors, including weak infrastructure, lack of bill payments, closure of illegal
tunnels on the Egyptian border through which fuel was smuggled and the bombing of the Gaza power plant by Israel. They have been exacerbated recently by a dispute between Hamas and Fatah over the payment of taxes on fuel imported to Gaza.