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Anger Flares in Gaza After Deadly House Fire

An official investigation into last Thursday's house fire that killed a family of six absolved the Hamas government of responsibility, enraging the victims' relatives, Mohammed Suliman reports.
A Palestinian woman looks at a burnt room of three-year-old boy Fathi al-Bogdadi in Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip September 26, 2012. Al-Bogdadi died and his infant sister suffered critical burns when a candle lit amid a power outage burnt their house down. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS DISASTER) - RTR38FOR

Last Thursday, Jan. 31, Gaza woke up to the frightful news of the death of an entire family of six, including four children, who perished in a house fire in the Al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood, east of Gaza City. According to investigations by the Gaza Ministry of Interior, the fire was caused by a lit candle, which was left unattended as the family members went to bed. Hazem Duheir, 32, his wife Samar, 30, and their four children aged between four months and six years all died in the house fire.

Due to severe oil shortages, locals in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to daily electricity cuts of up to 10 hours since the Israeli blockade was imposed on Gaza in 2006. Candles, kerosene stoves and power generators have become essential commodities in every house in the Gaza Strip.

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