To put pressure on Hamas to free the remaining Israeli hostages in the enclave, Israel ordered Sunday that the electricity in Gaza be turned off.
A week after Israel cut off all humanitarian supplies to the territory, which is home to more than two million people, Energy Minister Eli Cohen made the statement.
On Sunday, Cohen made the following statement via video: “We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after the war.
The functioning of desalination facilities, which are essential for supplying clean drinking water, is anticipated to be the main impact of the decision to cut electricity.
According to the government, turning off water supplies is not out of the question.
“I have just signed the order to stop supplying electricity to the Gaza Strip immediately,” Cohen stated in his statement.
Earlier in the conflict, Israel shut down the majority of Gaza’s primary energy source.
Monday is anticipated to see the start of negotiations in Qatar to extend the shaky truce, the first phase of which concluded on March 1.
Israel wants the first phase of their ceasefire to be extended, and Hamas wants to agree.
However, Hamas wants to begin talks on the second phase of the truce, which would involve the departure of Israeli soldiers, the release of the remaining hostages from Gaza, and a permanent end to the war.
It is estimated that Hamas is in possession of 35 dead captives in addition to 24 alive hostages.
The militant group, which has threatened to cut off supplies to Gaza, said Sunday that it had concluded the most recent round of ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian mediators without altering its stance and demanded that the second phase of the ceasefire begin immediately.
The war has severely damaged Gaza’s coastline region and infrastructure, and some of the electricity is provided by solar panels and generators. Israel has come under fire for cutting off Gaza’s supplies.
Hamas has reaffirmed its backing for a plan to form an autonomous group of technocrats to govern Gaza until Palestinians hold elections for the legislature and presidency.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which has its headquarters in the occupied West Bank, would oversee that committee’s operations.
Israel has denied the Palestinian authority any involvement in Gaza, but it hasn’t offered a substitute for post-conflict governance.
About 1,200 people, primarily civilians, were killed in the October 2023 Hamas attack within Israel, while 251 more were taken captive. The majority have been made available by ceasefire agreements or other accords.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, Israel’s military offensive has killed around 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, primarily women and children. The ministry does not specify the number of terrorists among the dead.
