Abdul Latif al-Haj (R), director in charge of hospital affairs at the Gaza Health Ministry, and Maamoun Abu Shahla, chairman of the charity Give Palestine Association, sign an agreement in Gaza city, on Oct. 12, 2020. A Palestinian charity signed on Monday a deal with the Gaza Health Ministry to supply and install China-funded solar energy panels for a children's hospital in Gaza city. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
GAZA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian charity signed on Monday a deal with the Gaza Health Ministry to supply and install China-funded solar energy panels for a children's hospital in Gaza city.
"This project will provide 90 percent of the hospital's electricity in all its departments, with a capacity of 30 megawatts," said Maamoun Abu Shahla, chairman of the charity Give Palestine Association.
He told Xinhua that this is the fifth China-funded project aimed at supplying solar energy for Gaza which is suffering from electricity shortage.
The solar energy panels for Al Durra Children's Hospital "are scheduled to begin operation in the next five months," Abu Shahla said, expressing his gratitude for China's support.
Abdul Latif al-Haj, director in charge of hospital affairs at the Gaza Health Ministry, told Xinhua that the important project will compensate for the severe shortage of power that affects the recovery of ill children, especially those in the intensive care units.
He thanked China for providing support for the people in the Gaza Strip, especially by funding sustainable development projects such as those of power generation and water desalination.
Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip since the summer of 2007 when Hamas violently seized control of the coastal enclave from the Palestinian Authority.
