Israel Cuts Electricity Supply To Gaza Amid Ceasefire Standoff
Israel has announced its decision to cut off supply of electricity to Gaza.
The decision follows Israel’s earlier move halting all goods entering Gaza after Hamas failed to agree to an extension of the initial ceasefire phase, which ended last weekend.
The latest move will cut off electricity to Gaza’s facilities, including its desalination plants, which remove dissolved mineral salts in water to make it fit for drinking.
Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. However, Hamas has insisted on proceeding with the second phase of ceasefire negotiations.
This phase includes the release of all hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and a long-term peace agreement.
Currently, Hamas is reported to have 24 Israeli living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
On Sunday, Hamas stated that its latest talks with Egyptian mediators had concluded without any change in its position.
Israel’s energy minister has now directed the Israel Electric Corporation to stop supplying power to Gaza in line with an earlier warning that both water and electricity could be cut off.
With much of Gaza’s infrastructure already devastated by months of conflict, residents have relied on generators and solar panels for power.
The ceasefire had provided a brief pause to the 15-month conflict, the deadliest and most destructive conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The initial phase saw the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
During this time, Israeli forces withdrew to buffer zones, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. Additionally, United Nations aid deliveries temporarily increased, with hundreds of trucks entering daily until Israel suspended supplies.
The conflict in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. Many hostages have since been released through ceasefire agreements.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israel Cuts Electricity Supply To Gaza Amid Ceasefire Standoff is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
