Video Shows Hamas Stealing Electricity From Civilian Institutions

The Israeli government, which has repeatedly accused Hamas of diverting public funds to finance terror activities, posted a video on Sunday that it says captures Hamas operatives stealing electricity from Gazan civilian institutions, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“The Hamas terror organization continues to steal from Gazan residents,” the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Maj.-Gen. Yoav “Poly” Mordechai commented.

“Yesterday it was reported that Hamas terrorists reached the Gaza Strip border fence at 4:30 p.m., to an area where there is an electricity line, to connect it to pirated grids for terror purposes,” Mordechai wrote. The electricity line was intended for hospitals and schools in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, he said, but he noted, “Hamas is not interested in the population and even oppresses it.”

Israel has been expressing concern over the economic crisis in Gaza, where residents are still limited to only a few hours of electricity each day, and warned of another round of violence if conditions do not improve.

In January, Mordechai joined Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi and a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Ministry at a forum in Brussels to discuss what could be done to ameliorate the situation in Gaza.

Mordechai suggested several solutions to the energy crisis, including connecting the enclave to a natural gas infrastructure that could double the electrical supply by adding 140 megawatts of power, with a potential for expansion to 560 MW. He also suggested establishing power line “161” from Israel to Gaza which would increase the electricity supply by 30 percent, according to the Post.