Work begins in Gaza to restore power to water supply facility

The electricity company in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday began work to reconnect power, aiming to boost a desalination plant's capacity to produce more water for the enclave's residents, an Israeli official confirmed to Xinhua.

The works have been approved and coordinated with Israel, whose ground forces are on a large-scale offensive in Gaza since Hamas' attack on its southern communities on October 7, 2023.

Video footage on social networks showed workers from the Palestinian Electric Company on Tuesday began to repair power lines damaged by Israel during its nine-month offensive in the Palestinian enclave.

According to the official, the Israeli plan aims to provide power from Israel to a major water desalination plant in Khan Younis. No other power lines will be reconnected at the moment, the official said.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the plan was first approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on June 16.

The facility, funded by the United Nations in 2017, was set up to supply drinking water to Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Mawasi, areas where numerous Gazans sought refuge from Israeli attacks.

More than 37,900 people have been killed in the Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the enclave's health authorities, and aid groups have described the damage to infrastructure and property as unprecedented.

At the outset of the war, Israel cut most of the supply of power, water, food and fuel to Gaza. The extensive devastation prompted the International Court of Justice to conclude that there is "a plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza, an allegation that Israel denies.

Israel said that the offensive was launched to dismantle Hamas in Gaza following an attack by the group last October, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the taking of about 250 hostages.