GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Hamas said on Tuesday it will not interfere in the work of Gaza's electricity company in a bid to persuade the European Union to resume financing of the territory's sole power plant to end blackouts.

The Islamist movement, which seized control of Gaza two months ago, denied it had diverted money from the territory's electricity company and said it would provide guarantees that the utility would function independently.
""To ensure the people's right to be free of electrical power cuts, the government will give verifiable guarantees that the electricity company will work independently as mandated and without any interference from the factions,"" the office of sacked Hamas premier Ismail Haniya said in a statement.
There was no immediate reaction from the EU.
On Monday the EU said it would not resume paying for fuel for Gaza's only power plant unless it received assurances that Hamas would not benefit from the aid.
Ahmed Yussef, a senior adviser to Haniya, dismissed the suggestions.
""This is not true, it's all lies,"" he told AFP. ""We ask anyone to show us the proof... we are going to send a statement to the EU to explain what happened. We never violated any of the company's regulations.""
Gaza's electricity plant provides between 25 and 30 percent of the territory's power.
It has been not been fully operational since late Friday, when Israel shut down the main terminal for fuel deliveries on security concerns.
On Sunday it shut down completely when the EU refused to resume paying for the station's fuel on fears that Hamas was planning to divert some of the revenues from the electricity it produces.
As a result, parts of Gaza have been suffering from blackouts for five days.
""The European Commission received information indicating that steps were being taken by Hamas to divert part of the revenues deriving from the production of electricity in Gaza,"" the EU said in a statement on Monday.
""We are ready to resume our support to the Gaza power plant within hours once we receive the appropriate assurances that all the funds will be exclusively used for the benefit of the Gaza population,"" it said.
If it provides fuel to a power plant, and Hamas earns money from that plant's production, the bloc could be seen to be indirectly financing the movement