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Protests erupt in Gaza as electricity crisis deepens

In many areas, Palestinians received only three hours of electricity at a time, punctuated by 12-hour blackouts.

Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use
Raghad Abu Nimr lives with her family in an impoverished neighbourhood of Khan Younis. The family of seven rely on candles and battery-operated lights when they can afford to. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
By Ezz Zanoun
Published On 21 Jan 2017

Gaza Strip – Anger is growing among Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip as the narrow coastal enclave’s electricity crisis deepens. 

An estimated 10,000 Palestinians flooded the streets in Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza last week, after more than a week of lengthy power cuts. In many parts of Gaza, residents received only three hours of electricity at a time, punctuated by 12-hour blackouts. 

Protesters expressed anger at Israel’s blockade, and at the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Hamas authorities in Gaza. Demanding a solution to the power cuts, some demonstrators clashed with security forces. 

Speaking to local media on Monday, Gaza’s Interior Ministry spokesman Iyad al-Buzm said that protesters arrested for “creating chaos” had been released after an agreement between various political factions. 

READ MORE: Palestinian factions trade blame for electricity crisis after Gaza children burn to death

Nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza have endured electricity shortages since Israel, with the help of Egypt, imposed a suffocating blockade on the territory a decade ago. 

The electricity crisis has been exacerbated since Israel’s 51-day war on Gaza in 2014, during which the main power plant was targeted and damaged by Israeli forces. 

On Monday, Thafer Melhem, the deputy chief of the Gaza Power Authority, announced that the first part of a $12m donation from Qatar had reached the territory and would allow a return to eight-hour cuts after eight-hour intervals of electricity. 

The Palestinian Authority’s prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, has also said that Turkey would donate 15 tonnes of fuel to the Gaza Strip, adding that an official agreement would be signed in the coming days. 

Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Umm Abdullah, Raghad's mother, sits with her neighbour and Raghad's siblings around a fire. They have no electricity most of the time. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
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Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Umm Hamed Zoarob uses the fire for both cooking and lighting their home. 'There's no electricity, there's no gas, there's nothing to do,' she says, explaining that her children are all unemployed, and they cannot afford a generator or fuel. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
More than 10,000 protesters marched through the narrow alleyways of Jabaliya refugee camp last week. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
A car carries a generator in Gaza. People in the territory are dependent on generators for electricity during blackouts. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
With nearly two million inhabitants, Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Despite the Palestinian Authority's Blue Tax tariff, there has yet to be a lasting solution to Gaza's power crisis. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
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Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
With unemployment hovering at about 42 percent, many Palestinians in Gaza cannot afford fuel for generators. [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Gaza electricity crisis - Ezz Zanoun - don''t use [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Standing in front of her home in Jabaliya refugee camp, one woman told Al Jazeera: 'We have no life here. Tell the world to bring us electricity so we can have a life again.' [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]