In January, as wide-scale protests erupted in Gaza sparked by the lack of electricity, Qatar and Turkey agreed to provide a 3-month supply of fuel for the power plant, enough for 6-12 hours of electricity a day. Watch video 03:23 Share Gaza power crisis deepens Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2fWWX Gaza power crisis deepens (28.06.2017)

The local energy authority said it had no option but to shut the plant down due to unpaid bills and taxes in a row between the Palestinian Authority government and the Islamic movement Hamas, which seized the enclave in 2007 from the Palestinian Authority; in control of the West Bank. The Gaza Ministry of Health on Monday warned of a health crisis and the possibility of delayed or canceled surgeries if the disagreement isn't resolved within 48 hours. The dispute over fuel is the latest flare-up in a long-running feud between the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and Hamas, a militant Islamist group which ousted Fatah when it took over Gaza in 2007. Fuel supply for Gaza's two million inhabitants has been a long-running source of dispute, with most homes in the territory receiving two eight-hour periods of electricity a day even when the power plant is operating normally. As things stand, residents can expect two six-hour periods of electricity, Metir said, “including electricity bought from Israel and Egypt.”

Israel last week warned of the upcoming fuel crisis, warning Hamas that it must pay for the diesel fuel it consumes, which is supplied by Israeli energy company Dor.
The Gaza Strip's sole power plant is shut down due to running out of fuel, amid unpaid bills and a dispute over tax bills on fuel imports to the blockaded Palestinian territory.