Region | Palestinian Territories
Arabs hold crisis talks over Gaza
Arab League officials gather for an emergency meeting as more than one million Gazans suffer from power cut.
- Agencies
- Published: 13:05 January 21, 2008
- Gaza's only power plant shut down on Sunday for lack of fuel, plunging the coastal strip into darkness.
- Image Credit: AP
Cairo: Arab League officials gathered for an emergency meeting in Cairo on Monday as a power cut disrupted lives and businesses in Gaza.
Bread shops and gas stations were shut while some hospitals have had to rely on generators for operations, officials said.
The Arab League is expected to ask the international community to pressure Israel into lifting its lockdown of Gaza, said Assistant Secretary General Ahmed bin Hilli.
Gaza's only power plant shut down on Sunday for lack of fuel, plunging the coastal strip and the homes of its 1.5 million residents into total darkness.
Officials have warned of a possible humanitarian crisis in the aid-dependent territory, whose border has been shut by Israel in response to continued Palestinian rocket fire.
Health Ministry official Moaiya Hassanain warned that the fuel cut would cause a health catastrophe.
"We have the choice to either cut electricity on babies in the maternity ward or heart surgery patients or stop operating rooms," he said.
Hamas claimed that five people had died at hospitals because of the power outage. Health officials denied this.
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