Gaza power plant shuts down after running out of fuel during Israeli blockade

Reports coming out of Gaza indicate that the power plant has run out of fuel as a result of the Israeli blockade, which was established after the Hamas terror organization's barbaric invasion of southern Israel on Saturday.

Palestinian Energy Authority Chairman Zhafer Melhem, reported to local media that the power plant had run out of fuel and stopped operating at 2 p.m. today.

Authorities released a statement saying the loss of power will “make it impossible to provide basic life services.”

With no power, water pumping stations will also soon cease to operate.

“This threatens to plunge the Strip into complete darkness and make it impossible to continue providing all basic life services, all of which depend on electricity, and it will not be possible to operate them partially with generators in light of the prevention of fuel supplies from Rafah Gate,” the Energy Authority announced.

The statement called the loss of power “a humanitarian crisis for all residents of the Gaza Strip.”

While some locations, such as hospitals, have fuel tanks and generators, those will also soon cease to operate when fuel runs out. Israel has created a blockade and is not allowing any supplies to enter the Gaza Strip.

In addition to the closing of the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings into Israel, the Rafah Border Crossing Egypt was shut down yesterday due to Egyptian officials' fear of a mass exodus of Palestinians into Egypt.

The World Health Organization claimed that the supplies it had pre-positioned in Gaza in the event of an outbreak of conflict have already been depleted.

Matthias Kannes, head of the Doctors Without Borders mission in Gaza, said they “consumed three weeks' worth of emergency stock in three days, partly due to 50 patients coming in at once.”

He claimed that Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, the biggest hospital in the Strip, only has enough fuel for three days.

Human rights groups have called for the establishment of safe corridors to allow civilians to flee.

The Israeli government told Gazans to go to Egypt, which the Egyptian government aims to prevent.

Hamas authorities condemned Israel for closing its border crossings but did not condemn Egypt for doing the same.

In addition, the terror group has continued to launch rockets into southern Israel despite the Israeli airstrikes, and many analysts are predicting a ground campaign in Gaza.

On Tuesday night, IDF airstrikes hit the home of Mohammad Deif, the leader of Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, killing his father and brother.

Deif’s current whereabouts are unknown.