Israel cuts Gaza electricity after Palestinian president says he will no longer pay the bill for Hamas

Israel will cut back electricity supply for Gaza after the Palestinian president said he would no longer pay the energy bill, worsening an energy crisis in the isolated enclave where many people are already without power for 20 hours a day.

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), announced in April that his semi-government in the occupied West Bank would no pay the bill for electricity in Gaza, which is run by his rivals in the Islamist militant group Hamas.

The Israeli cabinet decided Sunday that it would accept Mr Abbas’s decision and begin scaling back electricity supply, despite the humanitarian impact on Gazans and concerns that the cuts might increase the likelihood of another war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.