GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians are still waiting to realize benefits from the reconciliation between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Fatah-led government in the West Bank. They've been waiting since October, and some Gaza residents are quickly running out of time.
Unemployment rates remain high in the Gaza Strip, sewer networks are deteriorating and power cuts have become crippling under a decadelong blockade by Israel. Deadly house fires have occurred repeatedly as citizens resort to using candles to light their homes. And that's not the only lethal consequence of the power cuts.