"The blackouts cause a lot of trouble for merchants, factories, families and students, my wife has to work overnight sometimes when the electricity comes on to make foo for the family," Abu Khalil, who works in a Gaza shop said.

"I leave home at 7am and return at evening and find no power, our lives are conducted in the dark,” he said.

Abu Khalil said he was worried about buying a generator, after two fires erupted in the last month from faulty models, and a third - improperly stored inside a home - resulted in the death of three children from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Click here to read complete article by Ma'an News Agency, 10th February 2010