Power outage adds to 'unbearable' hardships for Palestinians in Gaza
For a week, Gazans have been braving the scorching heat with only a few hours of electricity a day, following the closure of all border crossings with Israel and the suspension of the only power plant.
![Palestinian children try to cool off a baby in a crib during a heat wave and lengthy power cuts in Nahr al-Bared camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 3, 2022.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2022-08/GettyImages-1242282740.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=vFZp8Ynv)
The electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for years has exacerbated in the past week with power outages reaching up to 16 hours a day.
The worsening power crisis comes as a result of Israel’s decision Aug. 2 to close the border crossings with the Gaza Strip, blocking travelers in and out of the enclave and preventing aid from coming in, under the pretext of a potential retaliatory military operation on the part of Islamic Jihad in response to the arrest of Bassam al-Saadi, one of the movement’s prominent leaders in the West Bank.