Tuesday marks the first time since 1967 that parts of the Gaza Strip
will be powered by Egyptian electricity. The plan to purchase
electricity from Egypt instead of the Israelis had been in place for
months, but final preparations were impossible to complete without
certain materials. But as the Israeli government had all borders
closed, it was impossible to complete until now.
The electricity is running from Egyptian Rafah through the Gaza Strip's southern border into Palestinian Rafah, the city that Israeli forces divided in half when the 1967 occupation began.
On Monday the Egypt Ambassador to Palestine, Ashraf Aqel, gave a press conference at the embassy in Gaza. "This work is part of our united stand with the Palestinian people under siege and tremendous pressures."
Both Egypt and the Palestinian Authority signed two contracts for an energy supply to deprived areas at 22 kilovolts.
Israeli forces had bombed the main power station and several generators in the Gaza Strip, leaving the Palestinian population without electricity for long periods, disrupting most aspects of life.
It is expected that engineers will complete 75 percent of repairs to the damaged stations completed within two months.
