Mohamed Thabet, head of media at the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company, has spoken to Al Jazeera about Israel’s electricity cuts and their effect on Palestinians in the coastal enclave.

He said that all the electricity coming from Israeli power lines has been shut down, while Gaza’s electricity supply has been cut off for 522 days due to Israel’s military offensive.

“Gaza residents faced 16 hours of daily power outages due to the Israeli blockade, a situation that has worsened since the war began,” Thabet added.

He said that many are forced to walk for 2-3km for a small amount of clean water for drinking, cooking or other uses.

“The reality on the ground in Gaza is nothing short of catastrophic,” Thabet told Al Jazeera.