Ramallah, 10-11-08: Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative strongly condemns the latest Israel closure on Gaza, leading to a severe shortage of fuel, and electricity shutdown.
Earlier this week Israel, as a result of the ongoing occupation initiated by them, closed all the crossings into Gaza and stopped the fuel supply, including industrial fuel. The power cut occurred as the Nahl Oz checkpoint -the entry point for any liquid fuel in Gaza- has been running at only 40% of its regular capacity for almost a week.
The Gaza power station shut down one unit out of three on Sunday and if the crossings are not soon reopened and the fuel supply not renewed, the second and the third unit will shut down, plunging Gaza in complete darkness.
Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, calls on the International community to put pressure on the Israeli government to “end the unjust siege on Gaza and ease the life of the million and a half of Gazans who have seen their living conditions considerably drop for the last year and a half.” To the deputy, “It is now urgent to rescue the Gazans and prevent the dangerous worsening of the ongoing humanitarian disaster.”
Due to the lack of fuel, Gazans will now again face long blackouts. The shortage of electricity has serious consequences on the living conditions of the population that has already suffered from the siege for years. From constant obstacles to daily life, such as being in the dark and not being able to cook; the effective functioning of hospitals and the overall healthcare is also increasingly at serious risk.
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