GAZA RESIDENTS REMAIN WITHOUT POWER DESPITE CEASEFIRE. (PHOTO).

 Gaza residents remain without power despite ceasefire

GAZA - Palestinian mother Hanan al-Joujou, 31, struggles to feed her three children in darkness as Gaza remains without electricity, months after last year’s Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The family relies on a single flashlight, but when they cannot afford to charge it, mealtime is skipped.

“We stay in the darkness—once the sun sets and the Maghrib prayer is called,” al-Joujou said. “If the light of the flashlight is available, we light it. If not, we go to sleep without dinner or light.” Her family has been without electricity since the war began over two years ago, initially relying on candles in their displacement tent in Rafah. They later abandoned candles over fire concerns, and even LED lights have failed due to high costs and limited availability.

Before the conflict, Gaza received electricity primarily from Israel, with an additional 60 megawatts from its lone power plant. After Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel imposed a total siege, and Gaza’s power station soon ran out of fuel. Today, families like al-Joujou’s end most daily activities when the sun sets, and children use flashlights to complete homework when possible.

Some residents operate solar or generator-powered charging points, despite the dangers posed by ongoing destruction. Mohammed al-Hor, 32, runs one such point from his home, which was damaged in an Israeli strike that killed his brother.

Restoring electricity to Gaza remains a massive challenge. More than 80% of the enclave’s electricity distribution networks were destroyed during the war, with preliminary losses estimated at $728 million. Currently, no electricity reaches Gaza, far below the 600 megawatts required pre-war.

Israeli authorities overseeing aid flows have maintained that they are facilitating humanitarian assistance, including fuel for power and connected lines to support desalination plants providing drinking water to residents. However, full restoration of electricity would require extensive infrastructure rebuilding.