The only power center in Gaza has stopped operating due to a lack of fuel needed to generate electricity, Gaza officials reported Wednesday. “Gaza is currently without power,” the head of Gaza’s energy authority, Galal Ismail, told CNN.
This power plant closure comes two days after the Israeli government announced a “complete siege” of the Palestinian enclave, closing access to electricity, food, fuel, and water in response to the surprise attack launched by Hamas in Israel, which left at least 1,200 dead.
Although Gazans still use electric generators, the blockade at all borders is depleting the fuel needed to run them, Ismail explained.
The Palestinian Health Ministry warned that hospitals would run out of fuel on Thursday, leading to “catastrophic” conditions.
The humanitarian crisis has displaced more than 236,000 Gazans, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and this number is expected to rise.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have left 1,055 dead and 5,184 wounded in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. Although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim to be targeting Hamas terrorists, Gaza’s dense population, with 2 million people in 140 square miles, means civilians are often caught in the crossfire.
OCHA notes that imposing sieges that deprive civilians of essential goods “is prohibited by international humanitarian law,” and the destruction of infrastructure is hampering the efforts of medical teams to reach victims.
Israel controls the movements of residents from Gaza into Israel through two crossings, Erez and Kerem Shalom, both closed. The only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Rafah, was attacked by Israeli warplanes on Tuesday, according to Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Eyad al-Bozom. The strictly controlled crossing is the only exit for Gazans seeking to flee.