24 feb 2015
The European Union (EU) has renewed Tuesday calls for the urgent need to lift the siege on Gaza and to implement the Palestinian national reconciliation that would “lead to the return of a single Palestinian Authority to Gaza.”
The calls came during a signing event between UNRWA and EU Representative John Gatt-Rutter in Gaza on Tuesday.
During the event, the European Union has announced a new EUR 5 million (US$ 5.7 million) contribution to the UNRWA Job Creation Program in the Gaza Strip. The EU has now contributed almost EUR 19.5 million to the Job Creation Program in Gaza since 2011.
“During the latest war in Gaza, many businesses were affected in various ways. Therefore, we have decided to provide extra support to the Job Creation Program through an additional EUR 5 million through Instrument for Stability (recently renamed Instrument Contributing to Stability and Peace - ICSP) funds on the top of EUR 15 million in 2011,” Gatt-Rutter said.
This will provide short-term job opportunities for an additional 4,800 vulnerable refugees in Gaza, with a particular focus on unskilled women, he added.
New opportunities will be created mainly in the struggling agriculture and fisheries sectors. Our efforts will help improve the lives of many of the most vulnerable people in Gaza, he underlined.
“But, as I have said, alone it is not enough and this is not in any way a permanent solution to the problems we are facing.”
"It is still vital that we continue to work with all partners to bring about fundamental change by ensuring that the severe restrictions on movement and access are lifted and there is real progress on reconciliation, leading to the return of a single Palestinian Authority to Gaza," according to his statement.
The calls came during a signing event between UNRWA and EU Representative John Gatt-Rutter in Gaza on Tuesday.
During the event, the European Union has announced a new EUR 5 million (US$ 5.7 million) contribution to the UNRWA Job Creation Program in the Gaza Strip. The EU has now contributed almost EUR 19.5 million to the Job Creation Program in Gaza since 2011.
“During the latest war in Gaza, many businesses were affected in various ways. Therefore, we have decided to provide extra support to the Job Creation Program through an additional EUR 5 million through Instrument for Stability (recently renamed Instrument Contributing to Stability and Peace - ICSP) funds on the top of EUR 15 million in 2011,” Gatt-Rutter said.
This will provide short-term job opportunities for an additional 4,800 vulnerable refugees in Gaza, with a particular focus on unskilled women, he added.
New opportunities will be created mainly in the struggling agriculture and fisheries sectors. Our efforts will help improve the lives of many of the most vulnerable people in Gaza, he underlined.
“But, as I have said, alone it is not enough and this is not in any way a permanent solution to the problems we are facing.”
"It is still vital that we continue to work with all partners to bring about fundamental change by ensuring that the severe restrictions on movement and access are lifted and there is real progress on reconciliation, leading to the return of a single Palestinian Authority to Gaza," according to his statement.
The Palestinian Minister of Public Works and Housing Mufid al-Hasaynah said the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip has received only $200 million out of $5 billion, the amount of money that the international donors pledged to donate for Gaza reconstruction during a conference in Cairo.
Hasaynah said, in a press statement on Monday, the Palestinian unity government must take control over the crossings for security reasons and to enable it assume its duties in a better way.
Hasaynah disclosed that the unity government has allocated 4 million Shekels for digging a water stream for Wadi Gaza in order to prevent its flow towards inhabitants as soon as possible.
This project aims to solve the problem which has been caused by the Israeli occupation which annually opens the wastewater dam toward the besieged enclave during the rainy season, he concluded.
Hasaynah said, in a press statement on Monday, the Palestinian unity government must take control over the crossings for security reasons and to enable it assume its duties in a better way.
Hasaynah disclosed that the unity government has allocated 4 million Shekels for digging a water stream for Wadi Gaza in order to prevent its flow towards inhabitants as soon as possible.
This project aims to solve the problem which has been caused by the Israeli occupation which annually opens the wastewater dam toward the besieged enclave during the rainy season, he concluded.
A Palestinian youth sustained wounds afternoon Monday after he was shot by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) near Gaza’s border fence.
Local sources said a Palestinian youngster came within the reach of the security fence, separating northern Gaza from the 1948 Occupied Palestine, moments before soldiers, in an IOF patrol deployed in the area, shot him with random volleys of machinegun fire.
The casualty was rushed to hospital to be urgently treated for the inflicted wounds.
The attack makes part of Israel’s renewed infringements of the Cairo-brokered ceasefire deal struck with the Palestinian resistance factions in the wake of Israel’s notorious aggression on the blockaded coastal enclave last summer.
Local sources said a Palestinian youngster came within the reach of the security fence, separating northern Gaza from the 1948 Occupied Palestine, moments before soldiers, in an IOF patrol deployed in the area, shot him with random volleys of machinegun fire.
The casualty was rushed to hospital to be urgently treated for the inflicted wounds.
The attack makes part of Israel’s renewed infringements of the Cairo-brokered ceasefire deal struck with the Palestinian resistance factions in the wake of Israel’s notorious aggression on the blockaded coastal enclave last summer.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) afternoon Monday rounded up three Palestinian youngsters trying to infiltrate into the security fence, in central Gaza.
An IOF patrol kidnapped three Palestinian young men attempting to cross the Gaza border fence, east of the Bureij refugee camp.
The three unidentified captives were transferred to an unknown location, pending interrogation.
Local sources said the IOF soldiers opened fire at the youngsters moments before the arrest was carried out.
Over 25 Gazans have been apprehended by the IOF since October 2014 for creeping into the border from Gaza.
Infiltrations into Israel have been on the rise due to the high unemployment and poverty rates rocking the blockaded coastal enclave.
Meanwhile, a flock of IOF tanks launched a limited incursion into the Juhr ad-Dik town, in central Gaza, and opened machinegun fire on Palestinian farmers and lands.
The incursion is another episode in the series of Israeli breaches of the terms of the Cairo-brokered ceasefire accord signed with the Palestinian resistance factions on August 26.
An IOF patrol kidnapped three Palestinian young men attempting to cross the Gaza border fence, east of the Bureij refugee camp.
The three unidentified captives were transferred to an unknown location, pending interrogation.
Local sources said the IOF soldiers opened fire at the youngsters moments before the arrest was carried out.
Over 25 Gazans have been apprehended by the IOF since October 2014 for creeping into the border from Gaza.
Infiltrations into Israel have been on the rise due to the high unemployment and poverty rates rocking the blockaded coastal enclave.
Meanwhile, a flock of IOF tanks launched a limited incursion into the Juhr ad-Dik town, in central Gaza, and opened machinegun fire on Palestinian farmers and lands.
The incursion is another episode in the series of Israeli breaches of the terms of the Cairo-brokered ceasefire accord signed with the Palestinian resistance factions on August 26.
23 feb 2015
Haniyeh says Egyptian army is not the enemy
Senior Israeli defense correspondent Alon Ben-David, Monday, warned of the consequences of keeping a firm grip on Gaza, noting that it will blow up in Israel's face not Egypt's. Meanwhile, Ismail Haniyeh, of the Hamas party, stated Sunday that Palestinian resistance will remain directed towards the Israeli occupation, and will not be involved in any conflict with a third or Arabic party.
Ben-David explained, in a report, that the situation in the Gaza Strip has become worse than ever, with the delay on reconstruction projects, as donor funds remain largely inaccessible.
Al Ray reports that the affected people, whose houses bombed during the last Israeli offensive against Gaza, are buying cement on the black market, as they do not have the money to rebuild their homes.
"Given that Hamas is not interested in any escalation with Israel, this status will not last forever," Ben-David noted. He further explained that, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza gets worse and worse, with more than 25 families now homeless, Hamas will be forced, as there is no another choice, into another military escalattion with Israel.
Related: 94 Israeli Ceasefire Violations Since August
He pointed out that Hamas keeps working on developing the capabilities of medium and short-range missiles in order to prove their ability to inflict considerable damages more than other types.
Default Hamas rockets are typically crude constructions, equipped with no guidance system and lacking little relative force, in comparison to the weapons used against resistance forces and Gaza civilians by Israel. Furthermore, the projectiles tend to fall in sparsely populated areas of the Negev.
See video: Gaza City's Devastated Al-Shuja'eyya Suburb
AP Investigation: 89% of "Protective Edge" Victims Were Civilians
Regarding the establishment of a sea port in Gaza, Ben-David said that senior Israeli officers and leaders in Israel's security services no longer reject this idea. He suggested that a small artificial island could be built off the Gaza shore, connected by bridge with Gaza, to be as a port.
"We could destroy it in case of any escalation," he said.
He said that this idea has gained the support of Israeli army for the first time since its withdrawal from Gaza. It will also clear Israel from responsibility towards Gaza.
Al Ray further reports that the deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stated on Sunday that the weapon of Palestinian resistance will remain directed towards the Israeli occupation and will not be involved in any conflict with a third or Arabic party.
During a visit to a number of freed detainees in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Haniyeh said that Hamas as well as its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, will not be entering into any such conflict.
"Although we are not satisfied with the siege and creating the buffer zone, the Egyptian army is not an enemy and we will not turn the gun towards them," he stressed, adding that the weapon of Palestinian resistance is for fighting the Israeli occupation.
Egyptian media insists on alleging that Hamas and its military wing of carrying out terrorist attacks in Sinai, and Hamas, in turn, refuted these allegations.
A boost in Egyptian security services began last October an eviction campaign along the border with Egypt. They announced that they will create a buffer zone 500 meters wide and, then, modify it to one kilometer. The Egyptian military has evicted residents from more than 680 houses since the beginning of the campaign, displacing thousands of Egyptian Bedouins.
In a statement published on the official website of the Egyptian Ministry of Defense, the army attributed the creation of the buffer zone to existence of underground tunnels.
Since the ousting of Egyptian ex-president Mohammed Morsi, in July of 2013, the relationship between Egypt and Hamas has been under strain, as Egyptian authorities tighten security measures along the border with Gaza, in coordination with Israel.
It has reportedly destroyed all tunnels, in addition to blocking Rafah border crossing save for a few days, with regard to humanitarian cases.
Israeli settlements existed in Gaza until Israel evacuated them in 2005, under a unilateral disengagement plan. Following this move, the siege was imposed and the conflict in the region increased to a devastating level.
Senior Israeli defense correspondent Alon Ben-David, Monday, warned of the consequences of keeping a firm grip on Gaza, noting that it will blow up in Israel's face not Egypt's. Meanwhile, Ismail Haniyeh, of the Hamas party, stated Sunday that Palestinian resistance will remain directed towards the Israeli occupation, and will not be involved in any conflict with a third or Arabic party.
Ben-David explained, in a report, that the situation in the Gaza Strip has become worse than ever, with the delay on reconstruction projects, as donor funds remain largely inaccessible.
Al Ray reports that the affected people, whose houses bombed during the last Israeli offensive against Gaza, are buying cement on the black market, as they do not have the money to rebuild their homes.
"Given that Hamas is not interested in any escalation with Israel, this status will not last forever," Ben-David noted. He further explained that, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza gets worse and worse, with more than 25 families now homeless, Hamas will be forced, as there is no another choice, into another military escalattion with Israel.
Related: 94 Israeli Ceasefire Violations Since August
He pointed out that Hamas keeps working on developing the capabilities of medium and short-range missiles in order to prove their ability to inflict considerable damages more than other types.
Default Hamas rockets are typically crude constructions, equipped with no guidance system and lacking little relative force, in comparison to the weapons used against resistance forces and Gaza civilians by Israel. Furthermore, the projectiles tend to fall in sparsely populated areas of the Negev.
See video: Gaza City's Devastated Al-Shuja'eyya Suburb
AP Investigation: 89% of "Protective Edge" Victims Were Civilians
Regarding the establishment of a sea port in Gaza, Ben-David said that senior Israeli officers and leaders in Israel's security services no longer reject this idea. He suggested that a small artificial island could be built off the Gaza shore, connected by bridge with Gaza, to be as a port.
"We could destroy it in case of any escalation," he said.
He said that this idea has gained the support of Israeli army for the first time since its withdrawal from Gaza. It will also clear Israel from responsibility towards Gaza.
Al Ray further reports that the deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stated on Sunday that the weapon of Palestinian resistance will remain directed towards the Israeli occupation and will not be involved in any conflict with a third or Arabic party.
During a visit to a number of freed detainees in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Haniyeh said that Hamas as well as its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, will not be entering into any such conflict.
"Although we are not satisfied with the siege and creating the buffer zone, the Egyptian army is not an enemy and we will not turn the gun towards them," he stressed, adding that the weapon of Palestinian resistance is for fighting the Israeli occupation.
Egyptian media insists on alleging that Hamas and its military wing of carrying out terrorist attacks in Sinai, and Hamas, in turn, refuted these allegations.
A boost in Egyptian security services began last October an eviction campaign along the border with Egypt. They announced that they will create a buffer zone 500 meters wide and, then, modify it to one kilometer. The Egyptian military has evicted residents from more than 680 houses since the beginning of the campaign, displacing thousands of Egyptian Bedouins.
In a statement published on the official website of the Egyptian Ministry of Defense, the army attributed the creation of the buffer zone to existence of underground tunnels.
Since the ousting of Egyptian ex-president Mohammed Morsi, in July of 2013, the relationship between Egypt and Hamas has been under strain, as Egyptian authorities tighten security measures along the border with Gaza, in coordination with Israel.
It has reportedly destroyed all tunnels, in addition to blocking Rafah border crossing save for a few days, with regard to humanitarian cases.
Israeli settlements existed in Gaza until Israel evacuated them in 2005, under a unilateral disengagement plan. Following this move, the siege was imposed and the conflict in the region increased to a devastating level.
22 feb 2015
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated that it is in urgent need for 100 million USD to aid the affected Gazan families after last summer’s Israeli aggression on the blockaded Strip.
In a statement on Sunday, UNRWA said it urgently requires 100 million USD in the first quarter of 2015 to allow refugee families, with partial damage, to repair their homes and to provide ongoing rental subsidies.
The statement expressed UNRWA’s concerns about the fate of thousands of families in case it cannot restart the provision of rental subsidies.
“If we cannot restart the provision of rental subsidies, people, including those who left our collective centers and found alternative accommodation, may be forced to return to those centers”, UNRWA said.
The statement pointed out that UNRWA has received only 135 million USD in pledges, leaving a shortfall of 585 million.
Due to lack of funds, UNRWA announced last month the suspension of its cash assistance program supporting repairs and providing rental subsidies to Palestinian refugee families in Gaza.
According to UN reports, about 100,000 Palestinian refugees were displaced, living in relatives’ houses or in rental apartments whereas more than 15,000 refugees are sheltered at UNRWA schools.
Arab along with international countries undertook in October, 2014 to provide 5.4 billion USD, half of which to be allocated for Gaza reconstruction whereas the second half to be spent on aiding Palestinians. However, the reconstruction has not been started yet.
On the seventh of last July, Israel launched war on the besieged Gaza Strip that lasted for 51 days and resulted in the death of more than two thousand Palestinians, and the injury of about eleven thousand others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing announced that the total units destroyed or damaged by this war amounted to 28,366.
In a statement on Sunday, UNRWA said it urgently requires 100 million USD in the first quarter of 2015 to allow refugee families, with partial damage, to repair their homes and to provide ongoing rental subsidies.
The statement expressed UNRWA’s concerns about the fate of thousands of families in case it cannot restart the provision of rental subsidies.
“If we cannot restart the provision of rental subsidies, people, including those who left our collective centers and found alternative accommodation, may be forced to return to those centers”, UNRWA said.
The statement pointed out that UNRWA has received only 135 million USD in pledges, leaving a shortfall of 585 million.
Due to lack of funds, UNRWA announced last month the suspension of its cash assistance program supporting repairs and providing rental subsidies to Palestinian refugee families in Gaza.
According to UN reports, about 100,000 Palestinian refugees were displaced, living in relatives’ houses or in rental apartments whereas more than 15,000 refugees are sheltered at UNRWA schools.
Arab along with international countries undertook in October, 2014 to provide 5.4 billion USD, half of which to be allocated for Gaza reconstruction whereas the second half to be spent on aiding Palestinians. However, the reconstruction has not been started yet.
On the seventh of last July, Israel launched war on the besieged Gaza Strip that lasted for 51 days and resulted in the death of more than two thousand Palestinians, and the injury of about eleven thousand others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing announced that the total units destroyed or damaged by this war amounted to 28,366.
Secretary-general of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi said al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas and the other Palestinian resistance factions that confront the Israeli occupation are not terrorist and have a legitimate right to defend their people.
In a recent interview conducted with him by the London-based al-Hayat newspaper, Arabi stated that the resistance is a legitimate right for any people under occupation and must not be confused with terrorism.
He noted that during the last Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, he had been in constant contact with Hamas political leader Khaled Mishaal.
As for the reconstruction efforts in Gaza, he said that there were contacts between the donor parties, the Arab League and the UN to pay the funds through the UNRWA, expecting that this step would be accomplished soon.
Commenting on the violent events in the Arab region, the head of the Arab League accused Israel of being responsible for the regional problems in order to serve its own interests.
For its part, the Hamas Movement expressed its appreciation to Arabi for his honest remarks and hoped they could contribute to ending the media campaign against the Palestinian resistance.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also expressed hope that such remarks would prompt the Egyptian authorities to assume its national role towards the Palestinian cause and the Gaza Strip.
In a recent interview conducted with him by the London-based al-Hayat newspaper, Arabi stated that the resistance is a legitimate right for any people under occupation and must not be confused with terrorism.
He noted that during the last Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, he had been in constant contact with Hamas political leader Khaled Mishaal.
As for the reconstruction efforts in Gaza, he said that there were contacts between the donor parties, the Arab League and the UN to pay the funds through the UNRWA, expecting that this step would be accomplished soon.
Commenting on the violent events in the Arab region, the head of the Arab League accused Israel of being responsible for the regional problems in order to serve its own interests.
For its part, the Hamas Movement expressed its appreciation to Arabi for his honest remarks and hoped they could contribute to ending the media campaign against the Palestinian resistance.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also expressed hope that such remarks would prompt the Egyptian authorities to assume its national role towards the Palestinian cause and the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces stationed in military vehicles along the southeastern border of the Gaza Strip on Sunday opened fire at Palestinian farmers in their fields in the eastern outskirts of Rafah.
Witnesses told Ma'an that several Israeli military vehicles were seen firing at farmers.
Spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said there were no injuries from the incident.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians.
The attacks have recently become a near daily occurrence.
The "security buffer zone" extends between 500 meters and 1,500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans.
Although following the ceasefire signed in August between Israel and Palestinian militant groups the buffer zone was supposed to be reduced in size, there remains confusion as to its exact area among many who live near the border.
Witnesses told Ma'an that several Israeli military vehicles were seen firing at farmers.
Spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said there were no injuries from the incident.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians.
The attacks have recently become a near daily occurrence.
The "security buffer zone" extends between 500 meters and 1,500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans.
Although following the ceasefire signed in August between Israel and Palestinian militant groups the buffer zone was supposed to be reduced in size, there remains confusion as to its exact area among many who live near the border.
Hundreds of Palestinians were evacuated from their homes Sunday morning after Israeli authorities opened a number of dams near the border, flooding the Gaza Valley in the wake of a recent severe winter storm.
The Gaza Ministry of Interior said in a statement that civil defense services and teams from the Ministry of Public Works had evacuated more than 80 families from both sides of the Gaza Valley (Wadi Gaza) after their homes flooded as water levels reached more than three meters.
Gaza has experienced flooding in recent days amid a major storm that saw temperatures drop and frigid rain pour down.
The storm displaced dozens and caused hardship for tens of thousands, including many of the approximately 110,000 Palestinians left homeless by Israel's assault over summer.
The suffering is compounded by the fact that Israel has maintained a complete siege over Gaza for the last eight years, severely limiting electricity and the availability of fuel for generators. It has also prevented the displaced from rebuilding their homes, as construction materials are largely banned from entering.
Gaza civil defense services spokesman Muhammad al-Midana warned that further harm could be caused if Israel opens up more dams in the area, noting that water is currently flowing at a high speed from the Israel border through the valley and into the Mediterranean sea.
Evacuated families have been sent to shelters sponsored by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in al-Bureij refugee camp and in al-Zahra neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Valley (Wadi Gaza) is a wetland located in the central Gaza Strip between al-Nuseirat refugee camp and al-Moghraqa. It is called HaBesor in Hebrew, and it flows from two streams -- one whose source runs from near Beersheba, and the other from near Hebron.
Israeli dams on the river to collect rainwater have dried up the wetlands inside Gaza, and destroyed the only source of surface water in the area.
Locals have continued to use it to dispose of their waste for lack of other ways to do so, however, creating an environmental hazard.
This is not the first time Israeli authorities have opened the Gaza Valley dams.
In Dec. 2013, Israeli authorities also opened the dams amid heavy flooding in the Gaza Strip. The resulting floods damaged dozens of homes and forces many families in the area from their homes.
In 2010, the dams were opened as well, forcing 100 families from their homes. At the time civil defense services said that they had managed to save seven people who had been at risk of drowning.
The Gaza Ministry of Interior said in a statement that civil defense services and teams from the Ministry of Public Works had evacuated more than 80 families from both sides of the Gaza Valley (Wadi Gaza) after their homes flooded as water levels reached more than three meters.
Gaza has experienced flooding in recent days amid a major storm that saw temperatures drop and frigid rain pour down.
The storm displaced dozens and caused hardship for tens of thousands, including many of the approximately 110,000 Palestinians left homeless by Israel's assault over summer.
The suffering is compounded by the fact that Israel has maintained a complete siege over Gaza for the last eight years, severely limiting electricity and the availability of fuel for generators. It has also prevented the displaced from rebuilding their homes, as construction materials are largely banned from entering.
Gaza civil defense services spokesman Muhammad al-Midana warned that further harm could be caused if Israel opens up more dams in the area, noting that water is currently flowing at a high speed from the Israel border through the valley and into the Mediterranean sea.
Evacuated families have been sent to shelters sponsored by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in al-Bureij refugee camp and in al-Zahra neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Valley (Wadi Gaza) is a wetland located in the central Gaza Strip between al-Nuseirat refugee camp and al-Moghraqa. It is called HaBesor in Hebrew, and it flows from two streams -- one whose source runs from near Beersheba, and the other from near Hebron.
Israeli dams on the river to collect rainwater have dried up the wetlands inside Gaza, and destroyed the only source of surface water in the area.
Locals have continued to use it to dispose of their waste for lack of other ways to do so, however, creating an environmental hazard.
This is not the first time Israeli authorities have opened the Gaza Valley dams.
In Dec. 2013, Israeli authorities also opened the dams amid heavy flooding in the Gaza Strip. The resulting floods damaged dozens of homes and forces many families in the area from their homes.
In 2010, the dams were opened as well, forcing 100 families from their homes. At the time civil defense services said that they had managed to save seven people who had been at risk of drowning.
Shortages in fuel reserves have forced Gaza’s power plant to shut down one generator, out of two, the plant manager Rafiq Maliha, said Saturday.
Maliha said, in a press statement, the breakdown has cropped up due to acute shortages in the needed fuel supplies.
Earlier, Thursday, The Energy Authority in Gaza raised alarm bells over a potential breakdown to rock the electricity generators of Gaza’s sole power plant with the advent of a frosty storm.
The authority further slammed the Petroleum Corporation for having trimmed down the quantities of fuel dispatched to Gaza’s sole power plant, saying they are not enough to operate the generators.
The statement urged the General Petroleum Corporation to work on supplying the blockaded Strip with the needed fuel supplies without further delay.
Over 40% of electricity shortage has been documented in power-starved Gaza. Deficit rates hit 60% due to frequent breakdowns of power generators.
Maliha said, in a press statement, the breakdown has cropped up due to acute shortages in the needed fuel supplies.
Earlier, Thursday, The Energy Authority in Gaza raised alarm bells over a potential breakdown to rock the electricity generators of Gaza’s sole power plant with the advent of a frosty storm.
The authority further slammed the Petroleum Corporation for having trimmed down the quantities of fuel dispatched to Gaza’s sole power plant, saying they are not enough to operate the generators.
The statement urged the General Petroleum Corporation to work on supplying the blockaded Strip with the needed fuel supplies without further delay.
Over 40% of electricity shortage has been documented in power-starved Gaza. Deficit rates hit 60% due to frequent breakdowns of power generators.
A flock of drones from Gaza had been hovering over the Eshkol settlements, Israeli media outlets claimed Saturday.
The Israeli 0404 online media site, known to be close to the army, said Israeli fighter jets were flown to Eshkol skies afternoon Saturday in search for two or three drones suspected to have taken off to Eshkol skies.
“Three Hamas-run aircrafts had been flying near the eastern Gaza borders and returned to their bases after the Israeli fighter jets showed up,” Israeli media sources alleged.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in mid-July that they had used a drone of their own making for the first time in the group’s history in a security mission over Israeli skies.
The Israeli 0404 online media site, known to be close to the army, said Israeli fighter jets were flown to Eshkol skies afternoon Saturday in search for two or three drones suspected to have taken off to Eshkol skies.
“Three Hamas-run aircrafts had been flying near the eastern Gaza borders and returned to their bases after the Israeli fighter jets showed up,” Israeli media sources alleged.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in mid-July that they had used a drone of their own making for the first time in the group’s history in a security mission over Israeli skies.
Truce violations List of names Pictures of martyrs
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8