Israel said on Sunday that it is shutting off electricity supply to Gaza, ratcheting up pressure on Hamas to sign off on an extension of the initial phase of the ceasefire.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen officially made the move, stating on X that it was “time for action.” “Enough talk, time for action!” Cohen tweeted, calling for power supply to the enclave to be cut off immediately.
This action comes as a follow-up to Israel’s recent block of the entry of commodities into Gaza, which hurts more than two million residents. Prior to war, Gaza relied extensively on Israel for power supply, but in October 2023, Israel has greatly tightened power and fuel supplies, immobilizing the country’s sole electricity plant.
Though the first stage of the ceasefire expired last week, all-out war has not resumed, but there is intermittent violence. Hamas, however, has insisted on talks for a second stage of the ceasefire instead of an extension of the first. The movement called on Egypt and Qatari mediators, as well as US officials, to make Israel stick to its commitments and permit humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The blackout is likely to affect water supply since most of the desalination plants along the south of Gaza depend on Israeli electricity.
The move was supported by far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who quit his ministerial position in January in protest at being opposed to any ceasefire. He described the move as welcome, saying Gaza should be cast “into complete darkness” until all Israeli hostages are released. He also called for Israel to strike fuel storage depots shipped into Gaza under previous ceasefires.
The situation is still volatile, with fears of deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the fate of ceasefire talks.
