Impact of the electricity cuts on the Student Community of the Gaza Strip

Stories from university and school students on the impact of the electricity and fuel cuts in the Gaza Strip collected by the DHRU of Sharek Youth Forum in Gaza City

“When will we see light again?’’

Gaza City, 11-1-2008, the fuel and electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating rapidly after the decision of the Israeli army, with the agreement of the Israeli High Court on Friday 13 November 2007, to decrease the supply off fuel and electricity to the Gaza Strip.

Due to the decrease in fuel supplies, which has been going on for months now, the petrol stations in Gaza ran out of fuel on 6 January 2008, while the savings that were used previously to cover daily shortcomings have also expired.  

Below are stories of the impact of the cuts on the daily lives of school and university students in Gaza.  

Mahmoud Al-Hassi, Al-Shati refugee camp, 5^th grade, Secondary school

‘These days I have final-semester exams at school, and I try to organize my studying from dusk, at 6 am until dawn, at 5 pm, to use daylight, because the electricity is regularly cut off after dawn for the rest of the night. The problem is that we never know beforehand when exactly the electricity will be cut off. I have no idea how long these cuts will continue for and I constantly find myself stressed and afraid that I will not be able to finish my homework and prepare adequately for my exams.” 

Brahim Taleb, Al-Saftawi area, first year student in urban planning, Al-Azhar University

‘I am currently preparing for a computer practical exam as part of my IT course, which is a major subject in my programme at university, so obviously I have to use the computer a lot. The electricity and water are frequently cut off in the area where I live, sometimes for 18-20 hours daily. I don’t understand the reason for the cuts, but I need to know when there will be regular supply of electricity again so that I can continue my studies and obtain good grades which are vital for continuing my studies.  

Hanan Hassan, Johr-Al Deek area, Secondary school final-year student, scientific stream

‘The student community in the Gaza Strip is suffering a lot from the power cuts, to the extent that many students are stressed out and becoming depressed, because they don’t know how to handle all their homework and exams. This affects negatively on their grades and academic results. I live in a marginalized area of the Strip and I have got used to living in difficult circumstances and conditions, but the cuts make the situation unbearable: it’s freezing, dark, there’s not enough water and what is more, now we are deprived of our education.  I ask myself every day: ’’When will we see light?’’ 

Like, Brahim, Mahmoud and Hanan, there are thousands of students suffering in similar circumstances. These difficulties have recently become even more acute as the students begin their examinations in the universities and schools of Gaza.

Despite the siege, the students we spoke to are determined to continue their education, even though they feel that this is made almost impossible to them - “the Israeli army uses all kinds of mean methods such as fuel and electricity cuts against us but we will overcome the siege through education and determination”  

The Dynamic Human Rights Unit of Sharek Unit Forum in the Gaza Strip, denounces the cuts of electricity and fuel supplies by the Israeli army as they affect the Gazan population as a whole. These methods, which amount to a form of collective punishment, are explicitly banned under international law. As a result of the disruption and suffering caused by the power cuts the people of Gaza are deprived of their right to proper health care and consequently their right to life is also endangered.

Every day, the Israeli suppliers of electricity distribute an insufficient amount of power, which causes daily cuts of at least eight hours in the whole Gaza Strip.    

The DHRU wishes to stress the negative impacts of the decrease in fuel and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. The already desperate living conditions will continue to worsen if the Israeli army continues to implement electricity and fuel cuts in the Gaza Strip. This will affect all aspects of life but will also have severe consequences on the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip.  
 

Some facts from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:  

·     On Saturday, 5 January 2008, the Gaza Power Generating Company (GPGC) reduced its power supply to the Gaza Strip by 23 megawatts, resulting in daily power cuts of up to eight hours to Gaza’s population of 1.48 million

·     Gaza's normal consumption of electricity is 230 megawatts, of which 65 are produced by the local power plant

·     Most Gaza residents are suffering disruption to their lives as result of the cuts including reduced access to drinking water (Running water in Gaza is only available in most households for around eight hours per day. If there is no power when water is available, it cannot be pumped above ground level, reducing the availability of running water to between four and six hours per day).

·     Israel has reduced the amount of industrial gasoline it allows into Gaza by 16 per cent since October 28 last year

·     Since the partial destruction of the Gaza power plant by Israel in June 2006, Gaza’s power supply has not met demand.

·     Hospitals in Gaza run by the Ministry of Health remain operational in spite of the power cuts. The hospitals currently have enough fuel to power their emergency generators. However, emergency generators are designed for emergencies not for continued use. The more they are used the more likely it is they will break down. As supplies of spare parts to Gaza have also been restricted by Israel, hospitals face the potential of major disruption to their services if regular power supply is not resumed.

·     The Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) provides water and sewage services in the Gaza Strip. It relies on electricity for the pumping and treatment of water and waste water. Like the hospitals, the CMWU requires emergency generators to continue its work during power cuts. If the CMWU cannot provide its own emergency power supply because of its own fuel shortages, it has to pump raw sewage into the sea which damages the coastline in Gaza, southern Israel and Egypt. If regular power supply is not resumed the chance of major disruption to water supply in Gaza and to the marine environment is increased.

For the full report, please refer to the ‘GAZA HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT   POWER SHORTAGES IN THE GAZA STRIP’ of 8 January 2008, available online at:

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Gaza_Situation_Report_2008_01_08.pdf