Israel connects desalination plant to Gaza grid, amid controversy and humanitarian crisis in the enclave

On Tuesday, Israeli authorities decided to connect a desalination plant in the Gaza Strip to their electricity grid, in response to international requests to prevent the spread of diseases. This move follows almost nine months of offensive and siege against the enclave.

The goal is to make the desalination plant operational, providing drinking water to the Gaza area, promoting hygiene and disease prevention. The Gaza Electricity Company has initiated work on restoring the desalination plant in Saladin Road.

However, Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, criticized this decision, stating that it was rehabilitating Gaza before disarmament, particularly focusing on hospitals that he referred to as centers of terrorism. He urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reconsider this strategy.

The Gaza Strip is currently facing a humanitarian crisis due to the military offensive and siege imposed by Israel after attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. The situation has led to accusations of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity against Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other Israeli officials.

The conflict has also resulted in calls for arrest warrants to be issued against top leaders of both Israel and Hamas by the International Criminal Court. Over 37,900 deaths have been reported in Gaza, while more than 550 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem due to Israeli forces’ operations or attacks by settlers.