Israel controls the electricity and gas supplies to the Gaza Strip and imposes a harsh embargo on the nearly 2 million Palestinians living in the coastal strip near the Sinai Desert. But Palestinians are finding creative ways to get around Israel’s oppression, especially in fighting the cold Winter weather
By Mohammed Asad
Mohammad AsadIsrael controls the electricity and gas supplies to the Gaza Strip and imposes a harsh embargo on the nearly 2 million Palestinians living in the coastal strip near the Sinai Desert.
But Palestinians are finding creative ways to get around Israel’s oppression, especially in fighting the cold Winter weather.
Gaza receives more than 70 percent of its electricity from 10 lines controlled by Israel, leaving less than a third of the electricity demands coming from local resources insufficient to service the entire Gaza population of 1.8 million civilians.
In recent months, Palestinians in Gaza have found that gas for cooking and heating, also supplied by an Israeli company, has been in short supply.
Here are photos of Palestinians warming around small fires and stocking fire wood to burn for heat.
Palestinians huddle around small fires to stay warm. Israel continues to shut off electricity and gas supplies causing great harm during winter months. Copyright (C) 2016 Mohammed Asad. All Rights reserved. Photos may be reproduced with proper credit to Mohammed Asad and the Arab Daily News
Firewood has become a major retail commodity for Palestinians. Palestinians huddle around small fires to stay warm. Israel continues to shut off electricity and gas supplies causing great harm during winter months. Copyright (C) 2016 Mohammed Asad. All Rights reserved. Photos may be reproduced with proper credit to Mohammed Asad and the Arab Daily News
Firewood has become a major retail commodity for Palestinians. Palestinians huddle around small fires to stay warm. Israel continues to shut off electricity and gas supplies causing great harm during winter months. Copyright (C) 2016 Mohammed Asad. All Rights reserved. Photos may be reproduced with proper credit to Mohammed Asad and the Arab Daily News
Firewood has become a major retail commodity for Palestinians. Palestinians huddle around small fires to stay warm. Israel continues to shut off electricity and gas supplies causing great harm during winter months. Copyright (C) 2016 Mohammed Asad. All Rights reserved. Photos may be reproduced with proper credit to Mohammed Asad and the Arab Daily News
Firewood has become a major retail commodity for Palestinians. Palestinians huddle around small fires to stay warm. Israel continues to shut off electricity and gas supplies causing great harm during winter months. Copyright (C) 2016 Mohammed Asad. All Rights reserved. Photos may be reproduced with proper credit to Mohammed Asad and the Arab Daily News
photographer Mohammed Asad's photo of Dalia Khalifa won an award in March 2015 at a competition organised by the UN.
'Unbreakable' - is the photo of 9yr old Dalia Khalifa, taken at Al-Shifa Hospital on Aug 9th, 2014. Dalia was badly injured in an Israeli air strike during Operation 'Protective Edge'.
'Unbreakable' is the Grand Jury Winner in the photography competition, organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa (UN OCHA).
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Mohammed Asad's home in Shujaiyya was destroyed by Israeli missiles, mortars and tank fire on Friday August 1, 2014 while he was documenting the Israeli massacre of civilians in the Gaza Strip. He is now living in temporary housing as he scrambles to find Internet access to share his photographs when possible.]
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