Power outage in Gaza
Power outage in GazaReuters

Major General Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), on Thursday told the Palestinian Authority-based Ma’an news agency that Hamas is responsible for the electricity crisis in Gaza.

His comments came as thousands of Gazans demonstrated in the enclave against the power outages in the region in recent days. The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations, as Gaza residents have in recent weeks been suffering from repeated power shortages.

Hamas accuses the Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah of being responsible for the power outages due to the fact that it failed to provide diesel for the sole power plant in Gaza.

Mordechai told Ma’an that Israel provides 122 megawatts of electricity to Gaza on a regular basis, and noted that when one of the power lines malfunctioned several days ago it was fixed immediately.

In addition, Mordechai said that the Egyptians provide between 20-30 megawatts and that the power plant in Gaza provides 60 megawatts.

He clarified that Israel does not prevent the entry of fuel to Gaza, and supplies 350 million liters of diesel fuel to the power plant through the pipelines at Kerem Shalom. Israel is ready to supply 700 million liters a day if it is economically viable, he stressed.

The electricity crisis in Gaza is the fault of its Hamas terrorist rulers, added Mordechai.

“Hamas’s leaders enjoy electricity 24/7. In contrast, the people of Gaza get only three hours of electricity a day. Also, Hamas uses the funds collected through the electricity bills for personal interests and any military equipment,” he told Ma’an.

In addition, Mordechai said that Hamas provides electricity to its underground terrorist tunnels on a regular basis, and each tunnel has a running generator which is used solely by Hamas.