Gaza – Gaza’s Only Power Plant On Fire Following Strike On Fuel Tank, Palestinians Blame IDF

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    Gaza's power plant was forced to shut down after two tank shells hit one of three fuel tanks, said Jamal Dardasawi, a spokesman for Gaza's electricity distribution company on 29 July 2014. Picture: REUTERS/Ahmed ZakotGaza – Israeli tank fire hit the fuel depot of the Gaza Strip’s only power plant on Tuesday, witnesses said, cutting electricity to Gaza City and many other parts of the Palestinian enclave of 1.8 million people.

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    A thick column of black smoke rose from the facility, which supplies the territory with two-thirds of its energy needs, and the fuel containers were in flames.

    “The power plant is finished,” said its director, Mohammed al-Sharif.

    He said the local fire brigade was not equipped to extinguish the blaze.

    An Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate comment and said she was checking the report.

    The plant had already been hit last week and was working at a reduced capacity of about 20 percent, allowing only a few hours of electricity a day for Gaza’s residents.

    Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza on July 8, saying it wanted to halt rocket attacks by the dominant Hamas movement and other armed groups. Ten days later, it sent in ground forces with the declared aim of destroying Hamas tunnels that criss-cross the border area.

    Though international pressure has been mounting to end the fighting, there is no end in sight to the 22-day conflict in which 1,116 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and 53 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.

    A Palestinian man walks in front of a fire raging at the Gaza's main power plant following an overnight Israeli airstrike, south of Gaza City, 29 July 2014.


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    7 Comments
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    9 years ago

    What took so long for them to do it? Should have been first Israeli target.

    ontime
    ontime
    9 years ago

    Finally getting things done

    MayerAlter
    MayerAlter
    9 years ago

    Wait, soon an Israeli Government Spokesman will declare that it was a mistake that the power plant was hit and regretting the damage. The real disgrace will be that he will not be lying.

    sissel613
    sissel613
    9 years ago

    So what? so they blew this apart–PA isn’t paying it’s electric bill anyway

    MyThreeCents
    MyThreeCents
    9 years ago

    They should cut off their water supply also.

    BigMasmid
    BigMasmid
    9 years ago

    Mamesh Bal Tashchis