RAMALLAH, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) said Wednesday it has asked Israel to restore regular power allocated to the Gaza Strip after a six-month halt.
Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh said that PNA officially requested the Israeli authorities to restore 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the coastal enclave.
The move is meant to strengthen the recently signed Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah movements, he said in a statement.
In June, Israel reduced 50 MW of power lines supplied to the Gaza Strip upon request of PNA, as part of punitive measures against Hamas rulers of Gaza.
The Gaza Strip needs 600 MW of electricity per day, with 139 MW currently available. 70 MW are supplied by Israel, 14 MW from Egypt, and the rest are generated by Gaza's sole power plant.
Severe power shortage left the seaside strip with an electricity supply of 2-4 hours on average per day, with 12 hours or more power blackout.
The Gaza Strip has been under a tight Israeli blockade since Hamas had violently seized control of the enclave in 2007 after routing security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
