Stray terror rockets knock out Gaza’s power, deprive residents of electricity

Rockets fired by Gaza terrorists destroyed critical civilian infrastructure that delivers electricity to the coastal enclave.

By: World Israel News Staff

Rockets launched by terrorists in Gaza caused serious damage to the infrastructure that supplies electricity to communities in the Hamas-run territory, according to an announcement early Tuesday evening by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC).

Residential buildings in the Gaza Strip lost power. It could be days before the lines can be sufficiently repaired to restore normal power supplies to many of Gaza’s residents.

In a follow up announcement, Israel’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Yuval Steinitz, instructed the IEC not to put its employees in danger to fix the damage. Steinitz specifically told the IEC to wait to repair the problems until sufficient calm is established in the area.

The IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Kamil Abu Rokon, addressed Gaza residents in Arabic on Facebook, urging them “to wake up and understand that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are using you as hostages in their attempts to escalate the situation at your expense, when you are the ones who are harmed first and foremost,” reported Ynet.

Damage to power facilities is the latest chapter in the recent saga of self-inflicted harm to critical civilian infrastructure, following three instances in which the Kerem Shalom crossing was torched by Hamas-directed Gazan rioters. This crossing is the primary point through which humanitarian aid reaches the Strip.

Rioters also severely damaged gas lines that bring fuel into Gaza on several occasions.

While violent demonstrations orchestrated by Hamas under the “March of Return” banner have dominated terror activities in the Gaza Strip for the past two months, Tuesday saw a shift to rocket attacks, credit for which was claimed both by the Islamic Jihad group and Hamas. In total, a over 70 mortars were launched at Israeli territory throughout the day.