Are Gaza's mosques wasting electricity?
In light of the Gaza Strip's electricity crisis, some Gazans believe mosques are largely contributing to the problem with unnecessary electricity consumption.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Since 2006 when Israel destroyed the only power plant operating in Gaza in retaliation for the kidnapping of its soldier Gilad Shalit by the Palestinian resistance factions, the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a severe electricity crisis, which is only growing worse with every passing year. This is due to several reasons, mainly the limited energy resources and the population boom, with about 1.9 million people now living in Gaza.
Since the beginning of Ramadan on June 6, the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company has been reducing supply hours while temperatures are rising.
On May 16, the Ministry of Energy in Gaza had announced that the mosques in the Gaza Strip consume electricity worth 200,000 shekels ($51,500) a month during the winter season when air conditioning and cooling systems are not used. This means that in the summer months, the electricity usage in mosques increases.
Mahmoud Baroud, a mosque-goer living in the Nuseirat refugee camp, said that unnecessary electricity consumption in light of the crisis plaguing the Gaza Strip is a very big problem.
