January 22, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 12, 1429

GAZA CITY, Jan 21: Gaza City plunged into darkness and residents marched in a candlelight parade to protest an Israeli blockade that cut off fuel to the territory’s only power plant, leading to warnings of a quick and deadly humanitarian crisis.

Electricity officials shut down the plant just before 8pm (1800 GMT) on Sunday, Gaza Energy Authority head Kanan Obeid said. TV crews and reporters were invited to witness the blackout.

Health Ministry official Dr Moaiya Hassanain warned that the fuel cut-off 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.

Gaza bakeries stopped operating because of the blockade, bakers said, because they had neither power nor flour.

In addition to the fuel it receives from Israel to power its electrical plant, Gaza gets most of its electricity from Israel. Israeli officials said that supply would not be affected.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel charged that Hamas created an artificial emergency, though Gaza continues to receive 75 per cent of its normal electricity supplies. The blackout “is a Hamas ploy to pretend there is some kind of crisis to attract international sympathy”, he said.

Four hours after the blackout, Hamas claimed that five patients died because of the cut-off of electricity in hospitals. Officials in the Health Ministry speaking on condition of anonymity denied any deaths were caused by the power outage.

Israel was trying to find a way to stop rocket fire into its southern communities. The barrages have virtually paralysed life there since a spike in fighting last week following an Israeli anti-rocket operation in Gaza.

A confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that the reduction in electricity and fuel supplies may be working, since the number of rockets fired on Monday dropped considerably.

The army said five were fired on Sunday, down from 53 in the two previous days.

But Vice Premier Haim Ramon implied that Israel would not relieve the pressure on Gaza in the near future.

“This is a tough battle and difficult battle and strong battle,” Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Army Radio. “We need patience and determination for this struggle.”

Ramon implied that Israel was not at this point considering a broad military operation in Gaza to counter the rocket fire, saying such an option would be “very problematic”.

Israel sealed all crossings into Gaza last week in response to the fighting, cutting off fuel, food and medicine.

Several weeks ago Israel reduced the fuel supply as a pressure tactic.

Late on Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to Israel to lift the blockade, said Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh. Abbas effectively rules only the West Bank after Hamas expelled his forces from Gaza last June.—AP