Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai uploaded footage to his Facebook page showing Hamas operatives hooking up illicitly to a Gaza power line Saturday in order to siphon electricity. The footage came to light on the backdrop of a worsening crisis in Gaza, partly due to electrical shortages.
"The Hamas terror group continues stealing from the people of Gaza," Mordechai wrote. It was reported Saturday Hamas forces arrived to an area near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, where power lines run, to create unlawful hookups for their own purposes.
"The power line crosses into the Gaza Strip and the pirated connection was carried out in the region between Maghazi and Khan Yunis," COGAT added. "This power was intended for hospitals and schools, but Hamas is uninterested in the populace and even exploits it.
A Hamas operative climbing a high voltage line
"The Hamas terror group continues its cynical exploitation of the people of Gaza and siphons power despite frequent power outages in the strip. Only a week ago it was published that Hamas is stealing fuel brought into the strip for the Palestinian public, and selling it on the private market to the highest bidder," Mordechai concluded.
The power crisis worsens once every few months since the Palestinian Authority, which pays for the power station's diesel, demands Hamas pay the excise tax levied on diesel bought in Israel, whereas Hamas refuses to do so but nevertheless collects tax from Gazans for power consumption.
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Photo Credit: EPA