An internal war between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas over who has control of the Gaza Strip has led to a crisis over who pays Israel for the Strip’s electricity supply.
The PA informed Israel on Thursday that it would no longer pay for the electricity which Israel supplies to Gaza.
Israel provides around 30 per cent of the power needed by the Gaza Strip, at a cost of around $11 million a month. Israel subtracts this amount from the taxes it collects from the Palestinian Authority.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has warned in the past two weeks that he would take “unprecedented measures", if Hamas did not concede some of its control over Gaza to the PA.
Gaza has experienced severe power cuts for some time, and in previous confrontations the Arab state of Qatar has stepped in to cover the costs. But it is showing no sign of doing so this time — and Hamas has said that it will not give in to “the threats” of the PA president.
Officials for the PA say the authority also plans to slash the healthcare budget for Gaza, paying only the salaries of medical personnel but not funding the management of the healthcare system.
Israel now faces a dilemma: to continue providing electricity to Gaza’s citizens but not to receive any revenue, or to cut off supplies completely.
Hamas immediately blamed Israel for the situation. Its spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri, called the move “a dangerous escalation, and a fit of insanity.
“We warn Israel against taking this move,” he said.
Khalil al-Haya, the second-highest ranking Hamas leader in Gaza, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Mr Abbas would fail “if he tries to make Gaza kneel or expects to win our loyalty by force".
Mr Abbas is due to meet President Donald Trump in Washington next week, and is under pressure to show that he represents all Palestinians.
Currently, the energy shortage in Gaza has left the Strip’s residents with as little as four hours of power a day.
The World Bank said on Thursday that the power cuts had led to a “humanitarian crisis,” hitting hospitals, clinics, water supply and other vital services, as well as household needs.
