Doha: On Arab affairs, Al-Raya said in its Wednesday editorial that the Gaza Strip is suffering from a catastrophic humanitarian situation due to the consequences of the brutal Israeli aggression of destruction, displacement, and ethnic cleansing, in addition to the crime of starvation practiced against it by the occupation. Since the first day of the aggression, the Israeli occupation decided to adopt collective punishment as a means of revenge against the Palestinian people in Gaza by using water, food, and medicine as weapons, just like missiles, bombs, and internationally prohibited weapons, until more than 150,000 Palestinians were killed and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 are missing, the paper pointed out.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al-Raya stressed that the State of Qatar has repeatedly warned of the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in the stricken Gaza Strip and called for effective and influential international action to stop Israel’s crimes and allow the people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to live in dignity. The deliberate targeting of infrastructure and the collective suffering of civilians violate international law and require serious international action that goes beyond mere statements to concrete practical steps.
Concluding, the newspaper said that the entire world must force the brutal and bloody Israeli occupation to stop its crimes and genocide against the defenseless Palestinian people, especially in the afflicted Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to the most horrific ethnic cleansing war known to history since October 2023, without anyone being able to lift the historical injustice against the Palestinian people.
For its part, Al-Watan newspaper noted that Qatari support for Syria’s energy sector has many positive aspects. First, it will enable Syrians to obtain an additional four or five hours of electricity per day, a 40% improvement for more than five million subscribers, alleviating their suffering, which has persisted for 14 years.
Qatar News Agency reports that Qatari support will contribute to supporting industrial and commercial activity, particularly in areas affected by the destruction of infrastructure, by distributing electricity starting from the Aleppo power plant, which will allow for a more efficient return to industrial and agricultural activity. Al-Watan said this represents a true turning point in Syria’s reconstruction process, with expectations of an improvement in the standard of living and economic activity over the next two years.
Qatar’s support will play a pivotal role in stimulating economic growth by enhancing the investment environment and attracting local and foreign capital, which will open new horizons for revitalizing productive sectors and creating significant job opportunities in the fields of operation and maintenance. This will support the government’s efforts to reduce unemployment rates and improve the living conditions of Syrian citizens, who have suffered greatly over the past years, the newspaper concluded.
Similarly, English-language newspaper The Peninsula stressed that Qatar’s commitment to supporting Syria’s electricity sector marks a significant step towards alleviating the war-torn nation’s energy crisis, offering hope for economic recovery and improved living conditions.
The newspaper stated that these efforts represent a combination of humanitarian aid and strategic regional cooperation, noting that in March 2025, Qatar pledged $63.75 million to supply natural gas via Jordan’s Arab Gas Pipeline to the Deir Ali power plant, boosting its output by 400 megawatts daily.
This week, Qatar launched a second phase, routing 800 megawatts of electricity through Azerbaijan and Turkiye to the Aleppo power station, The Peninsula pointed out. This increased daily power supply to five hours for over five million subscribers, a 40% improvement.
The Peninsula concluded by pointing out that challenges persist. Syria’s grid, decimated by war and looting, requires extensive repairs to distribute power effectively. Despite these hurdles, Qatar’s $760 million support, including Azeri gas delivered via Turkiye, is reducing reliance on costly, polluting private generators, lowering electricity costs for households and industries.