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Palestinian workers walk inside Gaza's main power plant January 20, 2008. Photo by Reuters

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GAZA CITY (AFP) -- The Gaza Strip's only power plant shut down Saturday due to a lack of fuel from Israel, which closed a goods crossing after militant rocket attacks, the energy authority said.

"The plant has completely ceased to function due to a lack of fuel caused by (Israel's) closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing," said Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil, deputy director of the energy authority in the Palestinian territory ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas.

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon ordered the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza and the Erez pedestrian crossing "until further security assessments."

In response, Khalil said, the energy authority cut the plant's operation from only 12 hours a day to six until the fuel ran out.

Khalil told Ma'an Sunday -- before the recent flare-up between Gaza militants and the Israeli army -- that the plant would be shutting down within "four or five days" because fuel donated by Qatar had run out.

But on Wednesday, Qatar agreed to continue funding fuel for three more months, Gaza's energy authority said, according to Reuters.

The power plant, which supplies some 30 percent of Gaza's electricity needs, has been forced to shut down several times, most recently in December.

Qatar donated $10 million to Hamas authorities in Gaza for fuel in the wake of the humanitarian crisis caused by severe weather in the region in December.

Even before winter storm Alexa, Gaza had experienced extreme fuel shortages that cut off access to basic necessities for Gaza residents since early November.

The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2006. Although enforcement from the Egyptian side eased following the 2011 revolution, since the July ouster of democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi military authorities have tightened control.

The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.

Ma'an staff contributed to this report.

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Gaza's only power station shuts down due to lack of fuel

Israel's Defense Ministry ordered closing of the Kerem Shalom crossing following a rocket attack on Israel's south that began Wednesday.

By Jack Khoury for Haaret, and Reuters
Mar. 15, 2014 | 2:10 PM

The Gaza Strip's only power plant shut down Saturday after Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing, cutting off the supply of fuel to the strip.

The power plant is one of the main sources of electricity for Gaza's 1.8 million people and without it, daily blackouts of around 12 hours are expected. Electricity is also received directly from Israel and Egypt.

"The plant has completely ceased to function due to a lack of fuel caused by [Israel's] closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing," Fathi Sheikh Khalil, deputy chief of Gaza's energy authority, was quoted as saying in a report by AFP.

Israel's Defense Ministry ordered the closing of the crossing Friday following a rocket attack on Israel's south that began Wednesday when Islamic Jihad launched 70 rockets at Israel throughout the day. Israel responded with air strikes on various targets in the strip.

Power blackouts that last several hours at a time are common in the Gaza Strip because of disputes between Israeli and Gazan energy authorities, and due to the recurrent closing of border crossings.

Nine rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel on Thursday despite an announcement of a cease-fire by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad earlier in the day. The Israeli Defense Forces denied a truce was reached.

There were no reports of any Gaza rockets or Israeli strikes on Saturday.