Israel to Reduce Gaza Power Supply

Israel will gradually reduce the amount of power it supplies to the Gaza Strip from 2 December, according to Israeli news website Haaretz.com.

Responding to ongoing attacks at Israeli communities along the Strip, Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has decided to go ahead with the hotly debated plan which has sparked fears from critics that it could lead to a humanitarian crisis in the area.

However, the government says a week's notice will be given to Palestinians living on the Gaza Strip and that power cuts would be carried out "with attention to the commitment not to cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip".

Power supplies will be kept to a "humanitarian minimum" an affidavit filed on behalf of the IDF Coordination and Liaison Office says.

Diesel fuel supplies for transportation purposes will also fall from 1.4 million litres a week to 1.2 million and supplies for power stations will drop from 2.2 million litres to 1.75 million litres.

By staff writer