Israel switches power back on, granting about 6 hours a day

摘要

The Israeli government turned the power back on yesterday for the Gaza Strip, afterrnPalestinian residents had gone nine months without their electricity supply.rnMost homes will only get about six hours per day.rnIsrael cut the power last year after the Palestinian Authority said it would no longer pay forrnpower in Gaza, where the rival Hamas group held power.rnThis made matters even worse for Gaza residents, who already faced heavy Israeli restrictionsrnon movement and products.rnMost were getting about three hours of power a day. Without power for sewage treatment, 25rnmillion gallons of sewage has poured into the sea each day.rnEgypt helped broker a deal between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas renouncedrncontrol of Gaza in October, but the two sides missed a December deadline to restore powerrndue to remaining hang-ups in the negotiations (Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, Jan. 7). —rnNB