Israeli fuel cut shuts Gaza power plant

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s sole power plant shut down Tuesday, leaving the territory’s 2 million residents with only around four hours of electricity a day after Israel cut off fuel supplies in response to incendiary balloons launched by Palestinian militants.

Tensions have risen in recent weeks between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. The balloons, launched across the frontier by Hamas-affiliated groups, have set farmland ablaze, prompting retaliatory strikes by Israel.

Tuesday night, Palestinian militants fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory, the Israeli military said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Hamas is demanding, through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, that Israel take steps to further ease a crippling blockade it imposed when the militants seized control from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Instead, Israel has tightened the blockade in response to the attacks, closing the main commercial crossing into the coastal territory and barring fishermen from taking to the sea.

The closure of the power plant further reduces the supply of electricity in the territory, which was already experiencing frequent, widespread blackouts at the height of the scorching summer. Power lines running from Israel provide three to four hours of electricity a day for most households.