In response to pressure on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza territory, Israel ordered a complete cutoff of electricity to the territory on Sunday. Energy minister Eli Cohen announced this decision, which follows the previous week’s halting of all aid supplies to the region, home to over two million people. In his video statement, Minister Cohen asserted the intention to use all available measures to secure the return of the hostages and ensure Hamas would no longer operate in Gaza post-war. The shutdown of electricity is expected to severely impact the functionality of desalination plants, essential for providing clean drinking water.
The government has not ruled out the possibility of cutting off water supplies as well. Minister Cohen confirmed the immediate cessation of electricity supply to the Gaza Strip. While Israel had previously cut off the majority of the mains electricity supply to Gaza during the conflict, discussions regarding the extension of a fragile ceasefire, the initial phase of which concluded on 1 March, are set to resume in Qatar on Monday. Israel is pushing for Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire, whereas Hamas wants to initiate negotiations on the ceasefire’s second phase, which includes the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a permanent end to the war.
Hamas claims to be holding 24 living hostages along with the bodies of 35 others. Denouncing the cutting of supplies as a move that would also affect the hostages, the group has concluded the latest round of ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian mediators without altering its stance and is advocating for an immediate start to the second phase of the ceasefire.
Gaza’s infrastructure, heavily devastated by the war, relies partly on generators and solar panels for its power supply. Israel has faced criticism for cutting off supplies to Gaza, with the United Nations human rights office stating that denying the entry of necessities for civilians may equate to collective punishment.
Hamas supports the establishment of an independent committee of technocrats to manage Gaza until Palestinians can hold presidential and legislative elections. This committee would operate under the Palestinian Authority (PA), based in the occupied West Bank. Although Hamas’s proposal has found support, Israel rejects any role for the PA in Gaza and has not proposed an alternative for governance post-war.
The October 2023 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, inside Israel, and the abduction of 251 individuals, saw the release of most hostages through ceasefire agreements or other arrangements. Meanwhile, Israel’s military campaign in response has reportedly killed over 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with the majority being women and children, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish the number of deaths among civilians and militants.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w0l3q4zd0o
