Israel has instructed its national electric company to cut back its already limited electricity shipments to the Gaza Strip last night by 20 percent, a step that political analysts told TV7, “aims to worsen the power crisis of the enclave, which will apply significant pressure on the Islamist Hamas organization to agree either to the Western Backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, to relinquish control of the enclave to President Mahmoud Abbas, or to the Egyptian government, to accept security related demands in return for humanitarian aid and easing of restrictions.
In response to the move by Israel’s electric company, Hamas warned the crisis in Gaza may cause for an escalation. An Islamist source told TV7 that Hamas could not withstand an additional deterioration of the situation in the enclave, as its rivals are waiting to seize an opportunity that would allow them to topple the regime, including radical groups affiliated with the Islamic State. The source, who talked on condition of anonymity, depicted the situation in Gaza as “a time bomb ready to explode” unless Hamas takes immediate action. He further explained that “Hamas has to act on the practical choices available to it quickly, because if it doesn’t, it will lose control of the Gaza Strip.”