In Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, residents like Abdel Karim Salman face daily hardship due to the near-total absence of electricity. Displaced from northern Gaza after his home was destroyed in October 2023, Abdel Karim now lives in a tent with his family and relies on phone torches for light. He walks hundreds of metres twice a day to charge phones, paying up to 10 shekels daily, a heavy cost amid widespread unemployment. With municipal power absent for two years, solar lamps and generator-based systems have become prohibitively expensive, leaving most families in darkness.

The crisis began after Israel’s siege on Gaza in October 2023, which cut off electricity and fuel supplies. Gaza’s sole power plant shut down within days, plunging the territory into a full blackout. Since then, infrastructure damage and fuel shortages have left homes, hospitals, and water systems dependent on limited generator power. By 2025–2026, Gaza’s grid is described as effectively non-functional, with electricity access fragmented and unreliable.

Some residents, such as Jamal Musbah, have turned to small-scale solar charging services for income, but even these face equipment damage and fuel scarcity. The population continues to endure severe energy deprivation with no sustainable solution in sight.