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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
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href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Punishes-Gaza-With-Fuel-Cuts-Over-Alleged-Rocket-Attacks-20190826-0012.html">https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Punishes-Gaza-With-Fuel-Cuts-Over-Alleged-Rocket-Attacks-20190826-0012.html</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">Israel Punishes Gaza With Fuel Cuts
Over Alleged Rocket Attacks</h1>
<div class="credits reader-credits">August 26, 2019<br>
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<p>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.</p>
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<p>“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.</p>
<p> 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 <a
href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Drone-Attack-a-Declaration-of-War-Lebanon-President--20190826-0008.html"
target="_blank">aggression</a> and rhetoric against
Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. </p>
<p> 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.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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