Gaza Strip's sole power station closed on Sunday despite Israel renewing fuel supply into the territory after halting them three days earlier for "security reasons" and causing power cuts.
Israeli officials said that shut-off occurred because the fuel required by the power plant had not been ordered. "We have shut off the last generator," Rafiq Maliha, the chief of Gaza's power plant, told AFP. Since late Friday, the plant had been running one of its four generators because of lack of fuel.
The Israeli army said that earlier on Sunday fuel had been allowed to enter through the main transit point, the Nahal Oz terminal.
But Maliha conveyed that the special kind of diesel required by the power plant has not been received. "We haven't received any fuel today for the power station," he said. According to Reuetrs, Palestinian officials said a European Union aid program, which funds fuel for the plant, has not sent its monitors to the crossing to facilitate the shipment as required.
Last Thursday, Israel halted fuel deliveries through the terminal for "security reasons". The next day, the territory's sole power plant sharply cut its production because of a lack of diesel, causing power outages in several districts of Gaza City and the north of the coastal strip.
Gaza's power station produces 40 percent of electricity for the coastal strip, according to Laila Abu Ghali of the Palestinian power authority, with another 50 percent coming from Israel and 10 percent from Egypt.
