Gaza braces for 'critical power outages within 72 hours'

The Gaza Electricity Authority has warned the besieged strip could face critical power outages within 72 hours due to a lack of diesel fuel for the sole power plant in the enclave.

Since 9 May, Israel has completely closed the crossings connecting it to Gaza, halting the entry of essential products into the enclave, including fuel and gas. 

Any disruption to Gaza’s fuel supply will compound the dire situation created by the ongoing Israeli bombardment in the strip for four days. 

Due to the 16-year-long Israel-led blockage of Gaza, the enclave already suffers from a "chronic electricity deficit" which has resulted in increasing fragile living conditions for the population, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The regular power outages in Gaza have already “severely affected the availability of essential services, particularly health, water and sanitation services, and undermined Gaza’s fragile economy, particularly the manufacturing and agriculture sectors,” OCHA has previously said.