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Millions of pounds worth of fuel from Qatar arrived in the Gaza Strip yesterday, easing severe power shortages in the Hamas-run territory.

According to Reuters, Gaza’s Energy Authority said that the Qatari injection of approximately £9.9m worth of fuel would power a third generator at Gaza’s power plant, which would provide residents with electricity for eight hours each day for a three-month period. In recent weeks, Gazans have typically been restricted to just three or four hours of electricity each day.

According to AP, Turkey is also expected to provide extra fuel to Gaza in the coming days.

The power cuts have led to rare public demonstrations of dissent towards Hamas’s rule. Last week, Hamas security forces disrupted a protest which involved around 10,000 people in Jabaliya.

According to Deutsche Welle, security forces fired live ammunition into the air and hit protestors with batons. Journalists from AP and AFP reported being manhandled and arrested by Hamas police whilst covering the protest.

Reuters says that the power shortage is partly the result of a tax dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, violently overthrowing the Fatah faction of PA President Mahmoud Abbas and relations between the two have been bitter ever since.

The Swiss daily Basler Zeitung reported yesterday that the Swiss government and a Finnish NGO spent approximately £68,000 on a workshop in Geneva last month, designed to bring Fatah and Hamas together in unity talks. The report says that Palestinians on social media termed the Swiss initiative a “waste of money”.

In a separate incident, a 17-year-old Palestinian named as Qusay Hasna al-Umour was killed during clashes with Israeli security forces near Bethlehem in the West Bank yesterday.

An IDF statement said: “Hundreds of rioters hurled rocks at the security forces in the area…due to the extent of the violence, border police fired 0.22 calibre rounds towards a main violent instigator, resulting in his death.”

Four other Palestinians were also reportedly injured in the clashes.