Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip as it seen from the Israeli side of the border on May 29, 2018. Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

JNS.org – A rocket fired by terrorists in the Gaza Strip has damaged three power lines leading into the coastal territory, knocking out power for tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to Israel’s Electric Company.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of several dozen rockets and mortars at southern Israel on Tuesday. Israel has responded by hitting some 60 terror sites in the Gaza Strip.

As such, Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz has instructed the Israel Electric Corporation not to put its employees in danger to fix the damage and to wait until calm has been restored to repair the power lines.

The damage is the latest example of terrorists in Gaza sabotaging critical infrastructure for its residents. Earlier this month, Palestinian mobs acting under instructions by Hamas attacked the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel, which provided vital humanitarian goods to those in the coastal territory.

Israel provides up to 120 megawatts of electricity to the Gaza Strip.