Water provider for almost half of Gaza renews services after Hamas frees employee
Desalination plant operator says staff member healthy, apologizes for ‘misunderstanding’ with Hamas rulers; terror group’s officials decline to comment
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A Gaza company that operates water desalination plants serving nearly half of the enclave’s population said on Tuesday it had resumed operations after Hamas-led security freed a staff member whom they had detained on Monday.
A statement issued by the Abdul Salam Yassin Company, whose services reach more than 1 million people, said the decision to resume operations came after the issue was resolved, adding that the staff member was “fine and in good health.”
The company apologized for what it said was a “misunderstanding” that led to the detention of its employee and affirmed its respect for the Hamas-led government in Gaza.
Hamas government officials declined comment on the arrest, but a source on Wednesday confirmed the employee had been freed, without elaborating on the reasons for his detention.
The move was a rare show of dissent against Hamas, which has run the Palestinian enclave since 2007. Demonstrations briefly erupted in March and April, demanding an end to the war and that Hamas give up power, but fizzled out after a warning that public disorder would not be tolerated.
The terror group has been gradually reasserting control in areas of Gaza from which Israeli forces have withdrawn under an October 10 ceasefire deal as talks over the war-devastated Palestinian territory’s future grind on.
Israel halted all water and electricity supply to Gaza early in the war triggered by Hamas’s massacre of southern communities on October 7, 2023, but partially eased the utilities blockade later.
Most of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed, and pumps from its aquifers often rely on electricity from small generators. But fuel for generators is rarely available given Israel’s curbs on deliveries into the enclave, citing the risk of diversion into Hamas’ hands.
The company’s work is vital to the population in Gaza, where clean water is scarce. It owns three major desalination plants and 80 smaller ones across the territory. It also runs over 70 trucks that carry water containers across Gaza.
US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for post-war Gaza, whose first stage was the ceasefire, stipulates that Hamas disarm and renounce any future role in governance of the enclave, but who would replace them has yet to be agreed.
Hamas has refused to yield its weaponry before a Palestinian state is established. Israeli forces continue to control around half of the coastal Gaza Strip.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.