Israel has ordered the immediate cessation of all electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip in a bid to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining Israeli hostages. Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced the decision on Sunday in a video statement, saying, “I have just signed the order to stop supplying electricity immediately to the Gaza Strip.” This move comes a week after Israel cut off all aid supplies to the territory, which is home to more than two million people.
Cohen stated that the electricity cutoff is aimed at using all available tools to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in control of Gaza once the war ends. The measure is expected to primarily impact the operation of desalination plants, which are critical for providing clean drinking water, and the government has not ruled out cutting off water supplies as well.
Talks to extend the fragile ceasefire—whose first phase ended on March 1—are set to resume in Qatar on Monday. Israel is pressing for an extension of the current ceasefire, while Hamas insists on entering negotiations for the second phase. The second phase would include the release of the remaining hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a permanent end to the conflict. Hamas is reportedly holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others, and it has warned that the electricity cutoff will affect the hostages as well.
The decision to cut off electricity adds to the long list of measures taken by Israel earlier in the conflict, including previously cutting off most of the mains electricity supply to Gaza. Meanwhile, the region’s infrastructure remains severely damaged, with Gaza largely relying on generators and solar panels for power.
The United Nations has criticized the move, with its human rights office stating that denying civilians access to essential services may amount to collective punishment. Additionally, while Hamas supports the creation of an independent committee of technocrats to run Gaza until elections can be held under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority, Israel has rejected any role for the PA in governing Gaza and has not proposed an alternative for post-war administration.
The ongoing conflict, which escalated after Hamas’s October 2023 attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, continues to claim a heavy toll. According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, Israel’s military offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
