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GAZA CITY. — At least 100 Gazans have been killed in Israeli bombardment yesterday, Gaza officials have said, hours after shells hit the enclave’s only power station.
Gaza officials were saying the death toll from the invasion had now reached 1,178, with at least 100 killed since yesterday. More than 6,800 Gazans had been injured.
The AFP news agency reported that one air raid alone in northern Gaza had killed 10 people.
Gaza’s sole power plant was shelled, cutting off most of the besieged Palestinian territory’s fuel supply and prompting warnings of a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Bombs hit the power station’s generator.
A thick column of black smoke was seen rising from the station yesterday, as Israeli artillery shells continued to land in open fields around it.
The power station was damaged last week when it was shelled by an Israeli tank and was already operating at a reduced capacity. Israel said last week’s shelling was accidental.
Gaza officials said yesterday’s strikes had hit the plant’s power generating station. Gaza also relies on power lines from Israel and Egypt to meet its energy needs.
Jamal Dardasawi, a spokesman for the electricity distribution company, said since Israel launched its incursion into Gaza, eight of the 10 electricity lines from Israel had been damaged.
Dardasawi warned that Gaza would be engulfed in a humanitarian crisis within hours if no immediate action was taken to secure electricity.
This will affect hospitals and water. All aspects of life are endangered, Dardasawi said.
Rafiq Maliha, director of the plant, told Al Jazeera that two turbines were directly hit, adding that the plant will not be working for months or maybe a year. — Al Jazeera/Agencies.
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