Sixty- per cent only of the electricity needs in the Gaza Strip are being met, the acting head of the Palestinian Ministry of Power Zafer Melhem said, according to Al-Resalah newspaper.

Melhem told journalists that the electricity crisis deteriorated after donors stopped supporting the Ministry of Energy.

Earlier in January, the Palestinian Energy Authority said in a statement that 50 megawatts of electricity will be supplied to Gaza by the Israeli authorities, which will reduce hours of electricity cuts in the strip from 12 hours to 6 hours cut.

However, seven hospitals in the Gaza Strip were forced to suspend services last month because of the power shortage.

The Ministry of Health recently announced that it is suffering from an acute shortage of medicines, medical supplies and fuel.

Gaza’s health facilities need 450,000 liters of diesel per month when power outages last 8-12 hours a day, at a cost of nearly $2,000 to cover a single hour of power outage, according to the Ministry.