GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Gaza Strip’s sole power plant halted operations on Tuesday over an Israeli ban on fuel imports into the Palestinian territory, according to Gaza’s energy authority.

"The power plant has shut down completely,” the authority said in a brief statement.

On Wednesday, Israel banned fuel imports into Gaza as part of punitive Israeli measures over the launch of fire-bomb balloons from the strip.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a crippling Israeli blockade that has deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many vital commodities, including food, fuel and medicine.

The seaside enclave suffers a major electricity crisis due to a shortage of supplies from Israel.

The Gaza Strip requires some 500 megawatts of electricity -- of which only 180 megawatts are currently available -- to meet the needs of its teeming population.

Gaza currently has three sources of electricity: Israel, which provides 120 megawatts; Egypt, which supplies 32 megawatts; and the strip’s sole power plant, which generates between 40 and 60 megawatts.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara