Gaza’s electricity crisis this year is its worst in recent memory ― residents say they are forced to endure blackouts sometimes lasting for 22 or more hours a day. In April, Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel, leaving two million residents helpless ahead of the baking hot summer. Two months later, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reduced his payments to Israel for the electricity it supplies to Gaza. The move is widely seen as part of a struggle between the PA and Hamas, which rules Gaza.
But it is ordinary people who are suffering. Hospitals are struggling to cope, and water is severely limited. Many people rely on generators when the power is off, but Gaza’s fuel reserves are expected to run out soon, according to a U.N. coordinator.
In the video above, Fedaa Al Ghussain, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s advocacy officer in Gaza, reports on the situation on the ground. It’s an “unbearable life,” she said. ”[Gaza] is very close to an explosion. [It will be] a huge humanitarian crisis that no one will be able to handle, no one will be able to fix.
“I really wish it was a nightmare,” Ghussain said. “I really wish that I could wake up to a different reality.”