New power line part of Gaza understandings: Hamas

By Mustafa Haboush

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – A new power line to the Gaza Strip is part of understandings with Israel, Palestinian group Hamas said Monday.

Local media said a delegation from the Palestinian energy authority met with a technical delegation from Qatar to discuss plans for launching a new power line from Israel to the blockaded enclave.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the understandings include improvements to Gaza's water and electricity supplies, relaxed import and export rules and launching job projects.

He, however, did not give further details.

On Sunday, Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi arrived in Gaza on a several-days visit to the blockaded territory.

The Gaza Strip suffers a major electricity crisis due to a shortage of supplies from Israel and Gaza's only power plant, which operates at almost half of its capacity.

Gaza-based resistance factions and Israel have reached understandings, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the UN, to ease a 12-year Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory, in return for halting anti-occupation protests near Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

Palestinian factions, however, say that Israel is delaying implementation of what has been agreed, prompting protests to continue.