GAZA CITY // Israeli tank shells hit a fuel tank of the Gaza Strip’s only power plant on Tuesday, forcing the plant to shut down, a spokesman for Gaza’s electricity distribution company said. A cloud of black smoke rose over the coastal city.
There was no immediate word of casualties and the Israeli military had no comment. According to Jamal Dardasawi, the spokesman of the electricity distribution company, the shells hit one of three tanks in the plant compound that currently store fuel.
Even before the strike, Gaza residents had electricity for only about three hours a day. The strike is bound to reduce supplies even further.
The hit on the power plant came as Israeli aircraft and tanks struck symbols of Hamas control in Gaza overnight and into Tuesday, their heaviest bombardment of the densely populated coastal territory since the war between Israel and the Islamic militants began more than three weeks ago.
The pounding came just hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in a televised speech of a “prolonged” campaign in Gaza.
Hamas also signalled defiance. Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader whose house was struck in an air raid early Tuesday, said in a statement that “destroying stones will not break our determination”.
The tough words by both sides came amid mounting international appeals for an unconditional ceasefire.
However, Hamas has said it will not stop fighting until it wins international guarantees that a seven-year-old border blockade of Gaza will be lifted. Israel said its troops will not leave Gaza until they have demolished several dozen Hamas military tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border. Late Monday, Mr Netanyahu signalled that Israel is intensifying its air and ground campaign.
Early Tuesday, Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in Gaza City, including Haniyeh’s house and government offices, while Gaza’s border area with Israel was hit by heavy tank shelling. Flares turned Gaza’s night sky orange, and by daybreak, a cloud of thick dust from explosions hung over Gaza City.
The overall Gaza death toll rose to at least 1,110, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel says it has lost 53 soldiers, along with two civilians and a Thai worker.
* Agencies
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
