GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The worsening electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip has caused a boom in the ice manufacturing and selling industry. The industry is thriving due to the increasing public demand on it by citizens and meat and fish vendors who are keen to preserve their products.

The Gaza Strip has been suffering from an acute electricity crisis since Israeli warplanes bombed the only power plant in Gaza in 2006, following the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June of the same year. As a result, electrical power is only provided for six hours daily, and eight at best.

Mohammed Qassem, from Gaza City, complains about food in his refrigerator going bad as a result of the long hours of power cuts. “Two days ago, I threw away 5 kilograms [11 pounds] of meat and large amounts of cheese and vegetables, as they had gone bad as a result of the long hours of power cuts,” Qassem told Al-Monitor.

Qassem, who supports a family of seven, said that the six hours of electricity a day are not enough to preserve food, stressing that power is not being supplied for six hours in a row, but at two-hour intervals.