Israel on Sunday said it was cutting off electricity to the Gaza Strip as it ramps up the collective punishment of the civilian population to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages, violating the ceasefire deal reached in January.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen made the announcement, saying he instructed the Israel Electric Corporation to immediately stop selling electricity to power stations in Gaza.
“We will employ all the tools available to us so that all the hostages will return, and we will ensure that Hamas won’t be in Gaza on the ‘day after,'” Cohen said. The move is expected to impact Gaza’s water supply since electricity powers desalination plants that produce drinking water.
Since March 2, Israel has blocked the entry of aid, medicine, fuel, and all other goods into Gaza. The UN’s World Food Program has warned that it’s running out of food supplies in Gaza, and Palestinians report a sharp rise in prices since Israel imposed the total siege.
Israel is demanding that Hamas release more Israeli hostages but without a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza or commitment to a permanent ceasefire, which were both conditions of the second phase of the initial deal. Hamas continues to call for the implementation of the second phase, saying it will not release the remaining hostages without an Israeli commitment to end the genocidal war permanently.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Israel is planning a series of escalatory steps that could lead to the full-scale resumption of its genocidal war. The report said that after cutting all aid to Gaza, the next step was cutting off electricity and water. After that, if Hamas doesn’t agree to Israel’s terms, airstrikes could resume, followed by mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and another Israeli invasion.
The Journal report said an Israeli invasion of the territories it withdrew from in Gaza seems inevitable. However, some US officials, including Adam Boehler, President Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, who held direct talks with Hamas, have said they believe a deal can be reached.
“I think you could see something like a long-term truce, where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree they’re not part of the political party going forward. I think that’s a reality. It’s real close,” Boehler told CNN on Sunday.
In the meantime, Israeli bombs and gunfire continue to kill Palestinians in Gaza. On Sunday, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least one Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire east of Gaza City. Since the truce went into effect on January 19, Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza.
