Pictured Above: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the U.N. General Assembly in Sept. 2015. Credit: U.N. Photo/Cia Pak.

(JNS.org) The United Nations has provided the Gaza Strip with some $2.5 million in humanitarian aid to assist with relieving the ongoing electricity shortage.

The aid comes during the current crisis in Gaza, precipitated by the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) June decision to pay only 60 percent of the coastal territory’s monthly electricity bill, amidst an ongoing feud with Hamas, the terror group in control of Gaza. 

The PA’s move aims to pressure the Palestinian terror group to relinquish some of its control of Gaza. The cut in electricity leaves 2 million residents of Gaza with two to three hours of electrical power per day.

The aid money came from Turkey and several European countries that contributed to the Humanitarian Fund run by the Office for Humanitarian Affairs in the disputed territories.

“I call on Palestinian leaders to address the destructive consequences of the divisions,” Miroslav Jenca, the U.N.’s assistant secretary-general, stated at the world body’s Security Council in New York last week.

“Hamas must also ensure that calm is maintained by stopping militant buildup against Israel and by doing its utmost to sustain security at the border with Egypt,” Jenca said.

He also called on Israel to lift its legal naval blockade of Gaza and to promote development in the territory. 

News of the U.N.’s aid contribution to Gaza comes as the world body’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Israel Sunday on his first visit to the Holy Land as the U.N.’s leader. Guterres is expected to discuss the situation in Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

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