With shortages of electricity, water, fuel, cooking gas and medicine, a lack of economy and no infrastructure, the masses of Gaza are in a fury with Israel, Egypt, the Arab oil states and the imperialists.
The shortages have added to the despair of Gaza’s 1.6 million people, many of whom are demanding action to resolve the crisis.
An Energy Authority official has said that $2 million was sent to Cairo but no fuel has arrived.
Gazans are enduring daily power cuts of up to 18 hours, hundreds of factories have shut down and even elevators are not working.
Gas station owners say they cannot obtain even a litre of fuel and people are using cooking oil to drive.
The noisy sound of generators can be heard throughout Gaza, day and night, causing several casualties through fires and fumes.
Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has tried to calm people down and said Qatar agreed to send cargo ships with fuel via Egyptian ports.
But many Gazans are not satisfied by the government’s response, and Hamas’ ongoing attempts to blame others for the crisis have only angered people further.
‘They only blame the Israeli siege, but what has the government done to solve the problem?’ a 32-year-old asked.
‘People are not asking for surrender under the siege that is a form of collective punishment,’ said Abu Nidal, an unemployed man.
The masses are demanding leadership.
Around 80 per cent of Gazan households are reliant on food aid provided by international organisations.
Gazans are demanding national unity and action to end the crisis.
Half of Gaza’s ambulances and fire trucks are out of service.
Emergency services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said no ambulances will be operating if the crisis is not resolved quickly and warned of a ‘disastrous situation’ in the event of an emergency or an Israeli attack.
Meanwhile, the bakers’ union’s Abdul Nasser al-Ajrami announced on Wednesday that bakeries will halve their working hours from Thursday.
• Israeli police have made no arrests after hundreds of football supporters, screaming ‘Death to the Arabs’, attacked Palestinian workers at a shopping mall in Jerusalem last Monday.
Bakery owner Yair said: ‘They hurled people into shops, and smashed them against shop windows. I don’t understand how none shattered into pieces.’
Malha’s executive director, Gideon Avrahami, described the incident as ‘a disgraceful, shocking, racist incident; simply terrible’.
Despite CCTV footage of the riot, Jerusalem police said that no one was arrested because no complaint was filed.
