Israel says restoring Gaza power after Palestinian Authority pledge to pay
Israel's energy minister has agreed to restore power to Gaza after the Palestine Authority agreed to pay for the coastal strip's share.
2 min read
Gaza has been suffering with severe power shortages for years (Getty)
Israel will resupply power to Gaza after the Palestinian Authority agreed to pay for its supply to the blockaded enclave, the energy ministry said Sunday.
Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz had ordered the supply to be restored by Monday after it was partially cut in June, leading to widespread blackouts and power cuts in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
A freeze in PA payments to Israel to supply power on its behalf to the Gaza Strip in June reduced the amount being delivered to the coastal Palestinian territory by some 50 megawatts.
Many residents were left with around four hours of electricity per day as a result.
Restoring the 50 megawatts will return the enclave to the situation before June, when mains electricity was supplied to residents in eight-hour cycles.
Steinitz said the PA had last year cut the amount of its monthly payments from 40 million shekels (9.7 million euros, $11.6 million) to 25 million shekels.
The electricity payments have been a key issue in efforts at reconciliation between Hamas, the movement that runs Gaza, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah.
Hamas and Fatah signed a landmark reconciliation accord in Cairo in October aiming to end their decade-long feud and hand authority in Gaza back to the PA.
However, reconciliation efforts later stalled and the rival factions missed a December deadline to transfer power in Gaza.
Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz had ordered the supply to be restored by Monday after it was partially cut in June, leading to widespread blackouts and power cuts in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
A freeze in PA payments to Israel to supply power on its behalf to the Gaza Strip in June reduced the amount being delivered to the coastal Palestinian territory by some 50 megawatts.
Many residents were left with around four hours of electricity per day as a result.
Restoring the 50 megawatts will return the enclave to the situation before June, when mains electricity was supplied to residents in eight-hour cycles.
Steinitz said the PA had last year cut the amount of its monthly payments from 40 million shekels (9.7 million euros, $11.6 million) to 25 million shekels.
The electricity payments have been a key issue in efforts at reconciliation between Hamas, the movement that runs Gaza, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah.
Hamas and Fatah signed a landmark reconciliation accord in Cairo in October aiming to end their decade-long feud and hand authority in Gaza back to the PA.
However, reconciliation efforts later stalled and the rival factions missed a December deadline to transfer power in Gaza.
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