Fire in Gaza Kills Family and Stirs Rage Against the Power Company

[oberliner]

GAZA — Twelve hours after Palestinian electricity workers cut off power to a building because of nonpayment by one of the tenants, it went up in flames, killing a married couple and their four children, ages 3 months to 7 years.

<snip>

The Hamas government focused on Israel, blaming it for constricting Gaza’s electricity supply, noting that Israel bombed the Gaza power station in 2006 and has long blockaded the territory from receiving many supplies, including fuel needed to run the station. The Interior Ministry of Hamas initially attributed the latest fire to a short circuit caused by a heater, but later said in a statement that it was started by a candle.

But relatives of the family blamed the electricity company, not Israel. Visiting the ruins of the house, Faiza Dhair, a sister of the man who died, pointed to the heater, which was hung on the wall outside the house’s most charred area, the bedroom.

“The death of my brother’s family has nothing to do with the siege,” she said, focusing her fury on the power company. She added, “If they did not cut the electricity cable to our house, my brother would not have died.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/world/middleeast/deadly-house-fire-stirs-anger-in-gaza.html?_r=0

[Scootaloo]

1. Faiza is totally right

The blockade did not drive the power company to cut off her brother's electricity. It was their decision to cut the electricity due to non-payment. Whether or not they can be blamed for it either is debatable; I guess it depends on where your opinion falls on the capitalism - socialism scale. But to try to pin blame on Israel is just stupid.

[AverageJoe90]

2. I blame the power company for being greedy.

Many Palestinians are exceedingly poor and have no means to pay for any but the most necessary of things, and sometimes, not even those.
I don't like many of the things that Israel's government has done.....but indeed, you are correct: to blame Israel is just plain idiotic.

[Scootaloo]

3. I'm from a place where law mandates the heat stays on in winter, so...

[AverageJoe90]

5. Minnesota? n/t

[azurnoir]

4. yes it was the Gaza power company at fault for this incident

people have been dying because of the greed of power companies the world over in my area they have simply frozen to death