{"id":88837,"date":"2025-07-18T15:08:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T20:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=88837"},"modified":"2025-07-18T15:08:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T20:08:07","slug":"israel-to-reconnect-gaza-to-grid-four-months-after-cutting-it-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/israel-to-reconnect-gaza-to-grid-four-months-after-cutting-it-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel to reconnect Gaza to grid four months after cutting it off"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(JNS.org) \u2013&nbsp;Israel is preparing to reactivate one power line to the Gaza Strip four months after cutting the flow of electricity to the enclave, the Defense Ministry\u2019s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit confirmed in a statement to JNS on Thursday.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_88838\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88838\" class=\"wp-image-88838 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1.jpg 1320w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88838\" class=\"wp-image-88838 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/F190827HJ04-1320x880-1.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-88838\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ruck carrying fuel enters a power plant in the central Gaza Strip, Aug. 27, 2019. (Photo by Hassan Jedi\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the orders of the Cabinet, \u201cthe necessary measures are being advanced to enable the targeted activation of the Kela power line for the purpose of operating the southern desalination facility in Gaza,\u201d COGAT told JNS. \u201cAccordingly, the political echelon has instructed the Ministry of Energy to activate the line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is emphasized that there has been no change in the overarching directive not to resume the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip through other power lines from Israel,\u201d the body noted.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to reconnect the European Union-funded seawater desalination plant in Deir el-Balah\u2014the only one in the Gaza Strip\u2014to the Jewish state\u2019s power grid was made during a Cabinet discussion on July 5 and came in response to international pressure, Israel\u2019s&nbsp;<em>Channel 14 News<\/em>&nbsp;reported earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>The facility\u2019s full production capacity is up to 18,000 cubic meters per day, but after Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Eli Cohen ordered to stop supplying electricity in March, its output dropped to approximately 2,000 cubic meters per day, according to&nbsp;<em>Channel 14<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Jerusalem\u2019s decision to halt the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/israel-to-halt-supply-of-electricity-to-gaza-strip\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electricity supply<\/a>&nbsp;came in response to the Hamas terrorist organization\u2019s rejection of the ceasefire extension proposed by U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, which Israel accepted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/israel-halts-aid-to-gaza-after-hamas-rejects-us-ceasefire-proposal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a>&nbsp;announced in March that no goods or supplies would enter Gaza until further notice, reaffirming that Jerusalem will not agree to a truce without the release of hostages.<\/p>\n<p>The Cabinet vote on restarting the energy supply to the Strip came days before the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/eu-foreign-policy-chief-says-agreement-reached-with-israel-on-gaza-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">European Union<\/a>\u2014which contributed \u20ac10 million (about $10.9 million) to the desalination plant\u2014announced Jerusalem had agreed to \u201csignificant steps\u201d to improve the humanitarian situation.<\/p>\n<p>Measures agreed upon included increasing the number of supply trucks entering each day, opening additional crossings to the north and south of the Strip, reopening Jordanian and Egyptian aid routes, resuming fuel deliveries to aid facilities and repairing infrastructure, said Kaja Kallas, the E.U.\u2019s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.<\/p>\n<p>Asked by JNS on Thursday whether the reactivation of the Kela power line was part of these steps, an Israeli official declined to answer, saying that \u201cCOGAT\u2019s activities are based on the Israeli Cabinet&nbsp;decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office declined to respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Knesset lawmakers of the Likud and Religious Zionism parties voted on Wednesday against an opposition bill that sought to bar the delivery to the Strip of all&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/likud-religious-zionism-mks-vote-against-bill-to-cut-aid-to-gaza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">aid<\/a>, including electricity, water and fuel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legislation failed to pass, with 10 Knesset members in favor and 49 against. Coalition members told JNS that halting all aid would damage the Jewish state\u2019s international standing and jeopardize the war effort.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Israel%20to%20reconnect%20Gaza%20to%20grid%20four%20months%20after%20cutting%20it%20off\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":88838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[663,8781,8790,8795,8788,5700],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88839,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88837\/revisions\/88839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}