[News] Israel Punishes Gaza With Fuel Cuts Over Alleged Rocket Attacks

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Punishes-Gaza-With-Fuel-Cuts-Over-Alleged-Rocket-Attacks-20190826-0012.html 



  Israel Punishes Gaza With Fuel Cuts Over Alleged Rocket Attacks

August 26, 2019
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As a "collective punishment," the Israeli government took retaliatory 
aim at Gaza’s electricity supply Monday ordering fuel shipments into the 
coastal region to be cut-in-half “until further notice” over alleged 
Palestinian rockets attacks against southern Israel on Sunday night.

“We already are in a crisis and now the Israeli decision will make it 
worse. It will have a grave impact on the lives of 2 million people and 
on vital services such as hospitals,” Mohammad Thabet, a spokesman for 
the Gaza power company said.

   Far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the fuel 
reduction in advance of a security cabinet meeting amid Israel’s 
election campaign, which is seeing an increase in aggression 
<https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Drone-Attack-a-Declaration-of-War-Lebanon-President--20190826-0008.html> 
and rhetoric against Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.

   A Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Qanou accused Netanyahu’s 
administration of working to “export its internal crisis,” condemning 
the decision as an “arbitrary action,” which shows that Israel is not 
serious about implementing any Gaza Strip ceasefire understandings 
reached under the sponsorship of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

Even in a time of war, these sorts of collective punishments are banned 
under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of 
civilians.

The Israeli regime said the move was in response to three rockets 
launched on Sunday from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel, two of which 
were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. The third rocket 
fell in an open area, the Israeli military said. There was no claim of 
responsibility.

Currently, residents get six hours of electricity followed by 12 hours 
of blackout. Gaza’s power company said the fuel cuts would decrease 
power time to only four-hour periods.

Despite a shortage of electricity and constant blackouts being nothing 
new for Palestinians in Gaza, Abdul-Rahman Ali, a director for a group 
of kindergartens in Gaza, told Middle East Eye the power cuts especially 
affect children who have to spend hours in dark classrooms in 30-degree 
heat.

The Palestinian strip has been suffering under a 12-year-long Israeli 
and Egyptian blockade. The Israeli NGO Gisha told the Jerusalem Post 
that Gaza’s chronic shortage of electricity impacts homes, hospitals, 
factories and basic civilian infrastructure.

“The power shortage also impacts the economy. When you have a business 
you are forced to buy a generator, and as the cost of electricity 
increases our incomes decrease,” Fadi Fayez al-Sharif, 28,  told MEE.

However, as Hamas’ spokesperson said Israel’s policy of “pressuring” the 
Palestinians “will not succeed and will even be counterproductive,” as 
the March of Return will continue until the blockade on the Gaza Strip 
is lifted.

-- 
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