Israel begins reducing power to Gaza, fulfilling Palestinian Authority request

Israel began reducing electricity to the Gaza Strip on Monday, fulfilling a request from the Palestinian Authority to pressure Hamas from controlling the region.


Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority in Gaza said electricity was reduced by 8 megawatts to the 2 million residents.

Last week, Israel approved a requested by the Palestinian Authority to cut the electricity it supplies by 42 megawatts. Normally, Israel provides 120 megawatts via 10 electrical lines for about four hours of electricity.

The area would see 2 to 3 hours of electricity daily once Israel end its reductions, said Gaza electricity distribution company spokesperson Mohammad Thabbet to the Gaza-based news site al-Raiy.

Gaza's only power plants stopped operating in August so residents and businesses rely on electricity from Israel as well as batteries, generators and candles...
 [upi.com]
19/6/17