Fire kills three Gaza kids, sparks accusations over power crisis

The mother of three children were killed in a fire caused by candle sparked on their family house, mourns during their funeral in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Saturday, May. 7, 2016.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip - Hamas rulers are accusing the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority of imposing taxes on fuel for Gaza's lone power plant.

By AP

Published: Sat 7 May 2016, 7:08 PM

Last updated: Sat 7 May 2016, 9:15 PM

Three Palestinian children have died in a Gaza house fire started by a candle, sparking internal finger-pointing over the coastal territory's lingering power crisis.
Gaza's Hamas rulers are accusing the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority of imposing taxes on fuel for Gaza's lone power plant, worsening the crisis and raising the daily blackout to 18 hours. The authority rejects Hamas' accusations and says the militant group has prevented it from working in Gaza.
The incident also sparked rare local criticism of Hamas policies, with some Gaza residents accusing it of diverting its scarce electricity to its attack tunnel network against Israel instead.
Hamas organized Saturday's funerals for the children and its security services deployed police along the funeral procession's route to quell any disorder and outward protests.

Palestinian mourners carry the bodies of three children were killed in a fire caused by candle sparked on their family house.

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Palestinian children look through a hole in a wall at a burned bedroom where three children were killed by candle sparked on their family house in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Saturday, May. 7, 2016.