Hamas warns of ‘explosion’ over power cuts in Gaza

HAMAS warned of a fresh “explosion” of violence in Gaza yesterday after Israel agreed to the request of the Palestinian president to cut back electricity supply to the isolated enclave.

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, asked Israel to cut the electricity supply to put pressure on his political rivals in Hamas, who have ruled Gaza for the past 10 years. He announced in April that his semi-government in the occupied West Bank would not pay the bill for electricity in Gaza.

The drop in electricity is part of the authority’s push to pressure Hamas to rescind its control of Gaza.

The Israeli cabinet decided this week to accept Mr Abbas’s decision and begin scaling back power, despite the humanitarian impact on Gazans and concerns the cuts might prompt another war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Gaza gets about four hours of electricity every day and the initial cut is expected to reduce that time by around 45 minutes.

The electricity shortages affect all aspects of life for the two million people in the small strip on the Mediterranean coast.

Hospitals are cutting back operations, poor families cannot keep refrigerators running and people often struggle to charge their mobile phones.

In a statement, Hamas threatened both Israel and Mr Abbas and said it would increase the likelihood of conflict. The Islamist militant group called the decision “catastrophic and dangerous because it harms all ways of life in Gaza. It will accelerate the deterioration of conditions and cause an explosion in Gaza.”

Israeli military officials are concerned that a humanitarian collapse could lead to a new war.