After 2 years of war, the Gaza electricity company is taking the first steps to turn the lights back on

It is dark on the street near Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The Abu Naji Family Huddle in their tent near the hospital around a small fire.

After more than two years of war, this night is eerily quiet, save for some crickets and crackling sounds from the fire. Shrouq Abu Naji takes his children’s notebook to take out the pages. This is the only way to keep a small flame.

“We haven’t had electricity in … years,” Abu Naji told CBC Freasence Videographer Mohamed El Faife on Wednesday.

On Oct. 9, 2023, two days after the Israeli attack on Israel, The Israeli government announced a power cutand water, food and fuel in Gaza.

As Palestinians struggle to rebuild their lives amid fragile structures with limited resources, electrical crews have begun work to restore power to parts of the power line.

Of the family of Abu Naji, lIn a tent in one of the most heavily bombed areas of Gaza City, their source of heat and light still comes from fires at night.

Abu Naji puts an open burning water pot for tea and lentils – a certain semblance of a sleeping habit for this small family that lived through two years of war.

“We drink a cup of tea and eat and lie with our heads down,” she said.

Meanwhile, in central Gaza, the Gaza Electricity District Company (GEDCO), the privately funded company that supplies power to the line, is facing an uphill battle to keep the lights on.

The machines are waiting

Since electricity, electricity is also available in Israel, and there is a small power plant in Gaza City, but it needs to be repaired for distribution.

On November 5, teams from the Gaza Electricity Company marched through the city of Deiri Al Balah for the first time since the outbreak of war. In Central Gaza, about 20 kilometers south of Gaza City in an area that was somewhat spared from the worst of the fighting.

Here, there are high-rise buildings that are still standing and powerful forces that have been damaged, but they are there.

Yasen Suwaihlu, 50, supervises the work as the men get sick, stand up to the top of the power lines and start the repair work as part of the efforts to restore the basic needs of the citizens.

“Our teams are working on f“Xing destroyed the power lines on Salah El Din Road so that we can bring electricity back to the power station,” he told El Safe.

Amidst the cacophony of salah el din Road, crews stopped at each power line, inspected and repaired to bring electricity back to the area.

Muhammad Thabet, an on-site engineer with teams inspecting the work in the Zuwaida neighborhood, said workers were facing difficulties including a lack of equipment.

He said that the company was waiting for many machines from Ramallah, north of Jerusalem in Israel, but that it had not yet been moved to enter Gaza, as it sometimes does.

“The power company has a great need for maintenance equipment, including supplies and equipment, to support teams to rebuild power lines and the power company,” he said.

He said more than 52 power poles were completely destroyed, “representing about 80 percent of the total power.”

But he said that despite the difficulties, the groups are ready to restore electricity to the Gaza strip.

“The destruction of electricity infrastructure intensified the challenges that threaten health, underscoring the important role of electricity in ensuring access to clean water, food, health care and the economy.”

Back in Gaza City, Abu Naji prepares his children in his bed. The fire goes out and darkness surrounds the family.

As a mother, her only concern now is to support her children.

“The children have lost all their rights … they have nothing,” she said before the fire broke out and the family collapsed.