Gaza power plant stops due to smuggled fuel shortage

The only power station in Gaza has apparently quit because of a fuel shortage !!

The power company is rationing electricity in 6 hour blocks according to officials (Hamas).

Abu Al-Amrain, information director at the Energy Authority said the fuel they use is smuggled in from Egypt.

He asked Egypt to allow more to enter Gaza, but did not say why fuel Smuggling has slowed down.

I wonder why Israel does not supply enough fuel through normal "routes"

Locals said in normal circumstances a fleet of trucks arrived at the Egyptian side of the border and pumped fuel through pipes in the smuggling tunnel that led into Gaza.

Israel provides the Mediterranean territory with at least 35 percent of its energy needs, but closed off its own fuel pipeline into the enclave in January 2010.

Fuel Shortage in Gaza

Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Gaza Strip's only power station, which supplies the Palestinian enclave with up to two-thirds of its energy needs, was shut down on Tuesday because of a shortage of fuel smuggled in from neighbouring Egypt.

The closure led to widespread blackouts for Gaza's 1.7 million inhabitants. The local power company warned that households would receive only six hours of electricity a day until the problem was resolved.

Gaza's Energy Authority, which is run by the Islamist Hamas group, said "measures taken" on the Egyptian side of the border meant not enough fuel was entering the territory.

If it's smuggling, Who are the players ?????

It must be another way to keep thumbs in somebody's eyes


This Sounds Like a Stupid Game

Its fairly stupid that they need to smuggle fuel for energy in at all.
Why can't they get it through normal routes?

Oh thats right, israel wants the land, forgot.

Anyways, This is just ridiculous. Why are we sitting here and allowing over a million people suffer at the hands of our supposed allies? Not to mention other millions. Sigh.

I always laugh when I hear Jewish people tout how hard and done by they are, how everyone hates the Jews and how anyone who stands up for the Palestinians is fuelling anti-Semitism.

I hate to say it but if Iran were to bomb the cr@p out of Israel right now......I would probably crack a beer and toast them.


Just saying.

Perhaps it's time for Egypt to step up and become the doorway for trade for the people in Gaza.

Everything is just smuggled in from Egypt anyway.

Foreign aid to Gaza may be paying for a lot of the smuggled items.

I wonder who the contractors are ?

Stop the smuggling, lower the prices = somebody makes less $$ (or whatever currency they use) !!

It's a racket.

The average citizen gets rooked on all sides.

So...they have to resort to smuggling just to be able to have power in that part of Gaza? That is truly, amazingly sad.