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For now, Israel stuck paying Gaza's electric bill

With the Palestinian Authority unwilling to pay for electricity in the Gaza Strip, Israel has become solely responsible for providing electricity to Gaza free of charge.
Palestinians ride a motorcycle during a power cut on a street in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip January 11, 2017. Picture taken January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2YLZ2
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Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, coordinator of government activities in the territories, is warning that Israel cannot keep supplying Hamas with free electricity, and in the coming days it will reduce the power supply to the Gaza Strip. In an interview with BBC Arabic, Mordechai explained that Israel is the sole power supplier to the coastal enclave because Gaza’s only power station has been crippled, due to a dispute between Hamas and Fatah regarding payment for the diesel fuel needed to get it running.

Mordechai said that Israel supplies Gaza with 125 megawatts (MW), enough for only four hours of power a day for residents, and had adopted a decision to increase the amount by 100 MW. Last month, Mordechai accused Hamas of stealing electricity from residents to fulfill its operational needs and for use by the movement’s senior officials.

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