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Palestinians Keen to Develop Gaza Marine Field in Spite of Israeli Objection

A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)
A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)
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Palestinians Keen to Develop Gaza Marine Field in Spite of Israeli Objection

A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)
A picture taken after signing the gas agreement in Gaza, in the presence of Palestinian President Abbas and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. (dpa)

Palestinians are hopeful that direct Egyptian intervention will allow them to develop the Gaza Strip’s offshore gas field after years of Israeli objections, which have obstructed any agreements.

Attempts to extract gas have always faltered due to the Israeli intransigence, senior adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas on economic affairs Mohammad Mustafa told reporters in Ramallah.

However, the Palestinian authorities are currently coordinating with Egypt to resolve this challenge, he stressed, affirming that the Palestinians are trying to benefit from Cairo’s efforts and regional relations to extract the gas “as soon as possible.”

His made his remarks a day after Palestine signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egypt to develop the infrastructure of the Gaza Marine Gas Field.

Chair of the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) Magdy Galal and Mustafa signed the MoU, in the presence of Abbas and Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla.

The gas field located off the coast of Gaza is one of the major national resources Palestine has always strived to control, extract and use in the fields of energy, electricity and industry, Mustafa explained.

He pointed out that EGAS will cooperate with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reach an agreement that ultimately leads to the extraction of gas, its transfer to Palestinian areas and possibly sell it to Egypt.

Egypt’s developed infrastructure and the availability of factories and necessary equipment “will make it easy to deliver gas to Egyptian territory through short pipelines and then export it abroad.”

The British Gas Group (BG Group) and the Consolidated Contractors Limited (CCC) discovered the field in 2000.

The Gaza Marine-1 (GM-1) exploration well was drilled in September 2000 at a water depth of 603 meters, followed by the Gaza Marine-2 (GM-2) well, located approximately five kilometers southwest of GM-1, at a water depth of 535 meters. Reserves were estimated in excess of one trillion cubic feet.

Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh welcomed the signing of the MoU and pointed out that “the technical team has been ordered to supply the Strip with our gas that will be developed by Egypt, not Israel.”

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Arab World

UNHCR Chief Calls for ‘Urgent’ Support to Lebanon During War

Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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UNHCR Chief Calls for ‘Urgent’ Support to Lebanon During War

Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced children queue to get toys at a shelter in Tyre, south Lebanon, April 14, 2026. (Reuters)

United Nations refugee chief Barham Salih on Wednesday called on the international community to provide urgent support to Lebanon, with a fifth of the country's population displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war.

"I call upon the international community to provide urgent support and relief to Lebanon," he said after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

"The humanitarian consequences of this war are immense, and I emphasize the need to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure from the ravages of attack. Lebanon does not deserve to be trapped in a recurring cycle of violence, it deserves support and stability."

He added that UNHCR has received "a portion" of the $61 million it had appealed for during the war to support Lebanon in its "unprecedented" displacement crisis, as more than a million people, or a fifth of the Lebanese population, are displaced by the conflict.

Of them, more than 140,000 are in government shelters.

The $61 million is part of the Lebanon Flash Appeal, launched by UN chief Antonio Guterres last month to gather $308 million to help the country.

War-ravaged Lebanon has been dealing with an unprecedented financial crisis since 2019 and was still reeling from the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war when the Iran-backed group drew it into the Middle East conflict last month.

Arab World

Israeli Army Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Army Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations.

Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a series of attacks across the country on April 8 that killed more than 350 people.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported two separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles, one in the seafront town of Saadiyat and another on a coastal highway in neighboring Jiyyeh, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Beirut and outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

NNA also reported several other strikes across southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military meanwhile said it had detected "approximately 30 launches" by Hezbollah towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesman told AFP.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at 10 northern Israeli areas.

The attacks come a day after Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the United States held their first direct talks in decades in Washington and agreed to hold further direct negotiations, with the Lebanese envoy calling for a ceasefire.

Hezbollah strongly rejected the talks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.

Arab World

Damascus to Take Over Prisons under SDF Control

People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Damascus to Take Over Prisons under SDF Control

People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian authorities are set to take control of prisons run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a government official said, as part of efforts to resolve the detainee issue under an agreement reached on January 29.

Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesman for the presidential team overseeing implementation of the deal, said all SDF-run prisons would be handed over to the justice and interior ministries.

He noted that detainees held by the SDF are being released without conditions, with a new batch expected next week.

“The SDF is committed to the full release of detainees linked to the uprising,” Hilali said, adding that the Justice Ministry would review the cases of those accused of criminal offenses.

He revealed that about 1,500 detainees had already been released, while around 500 others would have their cases examined.

Hilali said the transfer of prisons, particularly in Hasakeh province, would ensure that no detentions remain outside state oversight. He described the issue as humanitarian and said the SDF is moving toward integration into state institutions.

The presidential team, headed by Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh, arrived on Saturday at the Melbiya Regiment base in the Hasakeh countryside to oversee the release of a third batch of detainees under the agreement. The process included releases by both sides.

On Monday, the SDF freed a fourth group of detainees, according to Hasakeh’s media directorate, in a move carried out under the supervision of the presidential team, Syria TV reported.

Hilali said the government is moving to take over management of SDF-run prisons to end what he described as unregulated and ad hoc releases in recent months.

In a separate development, Hilali said a convoy carrying 800 families displaced from the Afrin region set off from Hasakeh province on Wednesday toward their home areas.

He described it as the largest organized return so far, reflecting progress in preparing conditions and basic services for returns, and underscoring what he said was the state’s commitment to addressing displacement.