Palestine remains under attack. There have now been ten consecutive nights of Israeli planes bombing Gaza. Israel military spokespeople have said the continued bombing is in response to Hamas released incendiary balloons over the border. Aircraft, tanks and targeted shooting have all been employed by Israel who have warned Hamas that if they want a war then they will have a war. So far the Israeli retaliation has been targeting Hamas outposts and no deaths are yet recorded, however escalation remains a real potential in Palestine. As usual, Egyptian officials have been looking to de-escalate the situation, but so far neither Palestine or Israel has acquiesced.
In response to the alleged Hamas attack on Israel, Israel suspended fuel shipments to Gaza from Qatar which powers the only power plant in Gaza. Less than a week later the power plant was forced to close down. Gaza relies heavily on Israel and fuel from Qatar for most of its energy sources and even with this reliance only receives six hours of constant mains electricity per day. The fuel blockage means that power is now only available four hours a day. This has deadly consequences for basic service delivery including hospitals, which have to power vital lifesaving equipment, such as intensive care unit, which are likely to be severely disrupted. In addition, though the numbers of new COVID-19 cases in Gaza remain low, further disruption to an already fragile health system will present a risk for further spread of the disease.
Other essential services such as water delivery and sewage systems are also likely to be affected, with ramifications of the potential for outbreak of disease further straining an already exhausted health system in Palestine.