Israel Begins Boosting Electricity to Gaza

Jerusalem, 2 July, 2024 (TPS) -- Israel began work to boost the amount of electricity supplied to Gaza to operate its water desalination and sewage systems on Tuesday.

Increasing the electricity was necessary to make drinking water available for the “basic humanitarian needs” of Palestinians sheltering in humanitarian zones, said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who approved the move.

To prevent Hamas from stealing electricity, the power is transferred directly to the desalination plant located in Khan Yunis. Once fully connected, the plant is expected to provide 20,000 cubic meters of water daily. The plant, till now powered by generators and solar power, only produces 1,500 cubic meters of water daily.

According to army estimates released on Tuesday, 1.9 million Palestinians, or 82 percent of Gaza’s population, are now sheltering in al-Mawasi area along the Gaza coast, Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, or the western areas of Khan Yunis in the southern Strip.

The move drew criticism from some government figures.

“We’ve lost it completely. We are rebuilding Gaza ourselves, before it has been demilitarized… Mr. Prime Minister, stop this folly,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israel disconnected Gaza from its electricity grid in October.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 116 remaining hostages, more than 30 are believed dead.