Gaza’s Hamas rulers have said that Israel has begun to cut back already limited electricity supplies — a step that is expected to worsen the power crunch plaguing the seaside strip.
The decision comes at the request of the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank. President Mahmoud Abbas has told Israel he would reduce payments for Gaza’s power.
Abbas, who lost control of Gaza to Hamas a decade ago, is trying to pressure the Islamic militant group to yield power.
Mohammed Thabet of the Gaza electricity distribution company said Israel on Monday cut its daily shipment of power from 120 megawatts to 112 megawatts.
Thabet added that because of this, residents will receive even less than the four hours per-day of power they had been receiving.
