The Electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip is an ongoing and growing electricity crisis faced by nearly two million residents of the Gaza Strip, with regular power supply being provided only for a few hours a day on a rolling blackout schedule.
With a halt to such smuggling and with restricted amounts of fuel supplied via Israel, due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, the power plant began operating at partial capacity.
[9] On 16 April 2017, the Gaza power plant closed after fuel supplied by Qatar and Turkey ran out.
[20] According to Asharq Al-Awsat Egypt offered, in June 2017, to supply Gaza with electricity in exchange for the extradition of 17 wanted terrorists and other security demands.
[22] In July 2017, untreated sewage was directed to the sea, due to the lack of electricity, severely polluting Gaza's beaches.
[26] In August 2017, the United Nations human rights office called on Israeli, Palestinian and Hamas authorities to resolve the conflict, saying "We are deeply concerned about the steady deterioration in the humanitarian conditions and the protection of human rights in Gaza", and that the supply of electricity for less than four a hours a day since April "has a grave impact on the provision of essential health, water and sanitation services".
[27] Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has documented how Gazans cope with electricity being provided on a rolling blackout schedule of a few hours a day,[28] and has further said that Israel should take responsibility for the crisis, a responsibility Israel denies, saying that Hamas should allocate funds for electricity rather than personal gain and military expenditure on equipment and military tunnels.
Political sources described the effort as a bid to pressure Israel to ease its blockade and allow more Arab and international investment.
[31] At the time, the Israel Electric Corporation stated that it cannot repair the lines,[31] and after the fighting ceased the IEC Union released a statement refusing to repair the facilities until Israeli prisoners of Hamas (including Avera Mengistu and the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul) were returned.