Special to WorldTribune.com

GAZA CITY — After nearly a year, the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has finally acquired natural gas from Qatar.

Officials said the Hamas regime has received the first gas fuel exported by Qatar.

The officials said the fuel, meant for Gaza’s sole electricity generating plant, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 15 in coordination with Israel.

“The Israelis are pumping the fuel from the border,” an official said.

Officials said Gaza would receive 450,000 liters of fuel donated by Qatar. They said the shipment was delayed for months amid the Egyptian siege of the Gaza Strip.

The Qatari fuel arrived amid heavy flooding of the Gaza Strip, caused by a regional storm that included unprecedented snowfall. Officials said Israel opened its Keren Shalom border crossing with Egypt for both imports and exports.

Gaza’s electricity plant has not been operating at full capacity for more than a year. Officials said the Qatari gas would enable the facility to operate eight hours per day.

Israel has allowed the renewal of construction material to the Gaza
Strip. In November, Israel blocked such imports after it discovered a Hamas
combat tunnel in the Jewish state.

  Hamas regime gets gas for Gaza from Qatar via Israel after 1-year delay, Keren Shalom border crossing