Gaza's Only Power Plant Stops Operations Due to Fuel Shortage

Gaza's only power plant halted operations on the morning of October 11 due to a fuel shortage caused by the blockade, reports Al Jazeera, citing Hamas representatives. Previously, Israel had stopped all electricity and energy resource supplies to the territory in connection with the launch of the "Iron Swords" military operation.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesperson Risham Mkhanna told Al Arabiya that the fighting and blockade have already left health centers and hospitals without electricity, effectively turning them into graves. One day earlier, on October 10, ICRC expert Iman Trabalsi announced the beginning of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including a severe shortage of water and electricity in an interview with RTVI.

The remaining operational energy sources in Gaza are diesel generators, but the fuel supplies are unlikely to last long, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Energy.

Since the night of October 10, Israeli air force and ground force artillery strikes have turned entire neighborhoods into ruins, particularly in the Rimal neighborhood, which is considered affluent and economically developed by Gaza's standards, where Hamas governmental buildings are located, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). According to AP, there are no bomb shelters in this area, so refugees from the destroyed neighborhoods are trying to find shelter in UN-sponsored facilities, but space there is severely limited.

On October 10, Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah crossing on the border with Gaza, effectively isolating the region and its people from the outside world. All Israeli crossings are also closed due to the ongoing military operation.

The New Arab, citing an anonymous Egyptian security source, reports that a high alert regime has been established along the Gaza-Israel border to suppress any attempts by Palestinians to cross the border illegally.