Humanitarian crisis in Gaza deteriorates as Israel cuts off electricity supply

Israel's halting electricity supply to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip has further worsened the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, pushing the region's infrastructure to the brink of collapse and placing immense strain on the water supply and operation of healthcare systems.

At present, local residents can only rely on shops equipped with solar panels to pay for charging their batteries and obtain limited electricity.

"Every day, I have to go to recharge the battery and pay five shekels (around 1.37 U.S. dollars) each time. But for the past week, I haven't been able to charge the battery at all, to the point where I've thought about selling the battery because I'm very desperate. Life is considered truly life only when there is electricity. When the house is in complete darkness, I can't stand being there at all. Without any [electrical] equipment, we just fall asleep like that. And when we wake up, we continue to ponder when this situation will end and when life will return to normal. But the reality is that nothing has changed after we returned from southern Gaza. Everything remains stagnant," said Mahmoud Al-Zant, a local resident.

The lack of fuel has also disrupted the operation of wells and desalination plants, leaving 90 percent of Gaza's residents without sustainable access to clean drinking water.

Across Gaza, families now ration every drop. Desalination facilities, operating at less than 20 percent of the usual capacity, strain under fuel shortages and erratic power supply.

A seawater desalination plant located west of Gaza City is now producing only 20 percent of its freshwater output due to insufficient electricity supply.

"In the coming days, due to the lack of fuel, this place will no longer be able to operate 24 hours a day as it did in the past, and working hours will be significantly reduced. This crisis has led to a severe shortage of water resources, especially in the northern region. Because water needs to be transported by trucks, a shortage of diesel will result in these transport vehicles being unable to operate," said Mahmoud Al-Zahar, desalination plant engineer.

In the Gaza Strip, medical facilities are among the most affected during the electricity crisis. Sheikh Radwan Clinic is one of the medical facilities in northern Gaza that is struggling to maintain operations. However, it can only operate for five hours a day due to the power shortage.

"During the Israeli military incursion into the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, the clinic's main generator was completely paralyzed by Israeli tanks' shelling, causing the clinic to cease operations. We suffered severe losses, not only losing the generator but also having all the solar panels destroyed. Later, we acquired a new generator through a donation. However, we are facing a shortage of diesel now," said Musa al-Rantisi, director of the Sheikh Radwan Clinic.

Humanitarian crisis in Gaza deteriorates as Israel cuts off electricity supply

Israel has been ratcheting up the number of settlements and annexation of the occupied West Bank and transferring its own population into the territory which constitutes a breach of international law, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office.

Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented a report by the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday that outlined the ongoing transfer of powers over the Occupied Palestinian Territory from the Israeli military to the government.

According to the report, based on research between Nov 1, 2023 and Oct 31, 2024, there had been a "significant" expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

"The Government of Israel has been increasing the number of settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, transferring its own population into the territory and unlawfully demolishing Palestinian homes. At the same time settler violence has increased with continued impunity," said Al-Kheetan.

The report also refers to plans to construct over 20,000 housing units in new or existing Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem alone, according to Israeli non-governmental organizations.

In East Jerusalem, 214 Palestinian properties and structures have been demolished. Over 10,300 units within existing Israeli settlements in the rest of the West Bank are in the pipeline, and an unprecedented 49 new Israeli outposts have been established, according to the report.

"The Israeli government is facilitating the advancement of settlements in the West Bank, and the steady integration of this occupied territory into the State of Israel, the report finds. Israel's settlement policy, its acts of annexation, and related discriminatory legislation and measures are in breach of international law, and violate Palestinians' right to self-determination," said Al-Kheetan.

The spokesman added that the transfer by Israel of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies amounts to a war crime.

Israel expands illegal settlements, annexation of West Bank: UN report