Gaza City Shuts Off Power Amid Claimed Fuel Shortage

Gaza City’s sole power plant has shut down due to what Palestinian officials claim are insufficient fuel supplies, the BBC reports. Israel—which provides 60% of Gaza’s electricity—closed its border last week with the Gaza Strip, preventing the import of virtually all supplies. The move followed a barrage of rocket and mortar attacks after a military incursion Tuesday that killed 18 Palestinians.

Israel claims the shutdown is unnecessary, and that the turbines have stopped “not because of a fuel shortage, but because they want to create the impression of a crisis.” The UN has expressed concern regarding the humanitarian consequences of the shutdown, as at least 800,000 of Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants will be without electricity, according to a plant spokesman.