GAZA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official warned on Tuesday that the Israeli decision of banning the shipment of fuel to operate the only Gaza power station would mount the populations' suffering in the Gaza Strip.
Zeyad Thabet, director general of Electricity Distribution Company in Gaza, told Xinhua that "Israel's decision to stop the shipment of fuel to Gaza power station will badly influence the schedule of electricity distribution all over the Gaza Strip."
"Consequently, this would certainly badly influence the general daily life and increase the people's suffering in the Gaza Strip," he stressed.
"Gaza Strip will lose 75 megawatts of electricity if the power station completely stops," Thabet added.
Qatar pays about 10 million dollars each month for buying fuel from Israel to operate Gaza power station, which solves a severe problem that the Gaza Strip has been suffering from over the past 12 years.
In response to releasing arson balloons from Gaza into Israel, Israel has officially, according to Israeli media reports, decided to ban the shipment of fuels that operate the only power station in the Gaza Strip.
Eyad al-Qarra, a political analyst close to Hamas in Gaza, said that "the declaration of the occupation (Israel) to stop supplying Gaza power station with fuel is like opening fire at the remaining of the Egyptian and UN brokered understandings."
"It seems that the occupation is starting a new phase of playing with the understandings and uses it against our people in the Gaza Strip," he told Xinhua.
"This policy would certainly lead to a mounting tension between the two sides," al-Qarra added.
Abdulatif al-Qanoua, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that "the decision to ban the shipment of fuel to operate the only power station in Gaza comes within the framework of the policy of manipulation that the occupation (Israel) is practising against our people."
Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar brokered calm understandings between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, where Israel agreed to ease its restrictions imposed on the coastal enclave for stopping Hamas violent attacks on Israel.
