Working with fellow electrical engineer Wasim al-Khuzundar, Amman hooked up an engine to 32 batteries.

Driving their small car through the streets of Gaza City, they said the vehicle could travel up to 200 km (120 miles) on a single charge.

Israel has reduced the amount of fuel it pumps into the Gaza Strip since Hamas Islamists seized control of the territory in June from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.

Local fuel distributors have been on strike in protest at the Israeli cutbacks, forcing the closure of many petrol stations. Some motorists have turned to cooking gas and cooking oil to power their cars.

"The lack of fuel, the bad smell of cooking oil and the continued siege motivated us to enhance the work until we were successful and made the car operational," Annan said.

He put the cost of the project at $2,500 but said the price of converting a car to electric power would depend on its size.