Israel destroys Gaza power plant
GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israel knocked out Gaza’s only power plant and pounded dozens of other high-profile targets yesterday, while Egyptian mediators prepared a revised proposal for halting its war with Islamist militants in the enclave.
Israel’s Channel Two TV said progress was being made on such a deal in Cairo, where a Palestinian delegation was expected, although the station retracted an earlier report that a truce had been provisionally agreed upon.
Health officials said at least 84 Palestinians died in some of the heaviest bombardments from air, sea and land since Israel launched its offensive on July 8 in response to rocket salvoes fired by Hamas and its militant allies.
Hospital officials said this brought to 1 164 the number of Palestinians who had died in the conflict. Most were civilians. On the Israeli side, 53 soldiers and three civilians have been killed.
The Israeli assault was intensified after the deaths of 10 soldiers in Palestinian crossborder attacks on Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of a long conflict ahead.
But the military said it needed about a week to complete its main mission of destroying cross-border tunnels through which Hamas militants have infiltrated to attack Israelis.
Thick black smoke rose from blazing fuel tanks at the power station that supplies up to two thirds of Gaza’s energy needs. The energy authority said initial damage assess- ments suggested the plant could be out of action for a year.
Electricity was cut to the city of Gaza and many other parts of the Hamas-dominated territory after what officials said was Israeli shelling of the tanks containing about 3 million cubic litres of diesel.
“The power plant is finished,” said its director, Mohammed al-Sharif. An Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate comment and said she was checking the report.
The Gaza City municipality said damage to the station could halt many of the area’s water pumps.
It urged residents to ration water consumption.
Gazans, who have had a few hours of electricity a day since the conflict began, now face months without power.
Southern Gaza gets some power from neighbouring Egypt, but electricity lines from Israel have been damaged in the bombardment.
Palestinians launched 52 rockets toward southern and central Israel, including the Tel Aviv area, the military said. Five had been shot down by Iron Dome interceptors while the rest fell wide, causing no damage or casualties.
Outside pressure has been building on Netanyahu to rein in his forces.
US President Barack Obama and the UN Security Council have called for an immediate ceasefire to allow relief to reach Gaza’s 1.8 mil- lion residents. They want this to be followed by talks on an enduring end to hostilities.
Efforts led by US Secretary of State John Kerry last week failed to achieve a breakthrough. The explosion of violence appeared to dash international hopes of turning a brief lull for the Muslim Eid-ul-Fitr festival into a longer-term ceasefire.