Israel’s energy minister orders stoppage of electricity transmission to Gaza: Report
The minister, Eli Cohen, has ordered the stoppage of electricity transmission to Gaza, according to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
Gaza had been reliant on Israel for much of its electricity supply before the war, but since October 2023 Israel has severely restricted the supply of electricity, and restricted the fuel needed for Gaza’s sole power plant.
Last Sunday, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the Israeli government was willing to cut electricity and water if Hamas did not agree to extend phase one of the ceasefire deal instead of moving on to phase two.
The newspaper reported that mediators have been given a few days to persuade Hamas to bend to Israel’s demands, but that PM Benjamin Netanyahu was not prepared to agree to ending the war because that would mean Hamas remaining in power.
Cohen in a post on X has confirmed the news, saying he has signed an order to “cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip immediately”. “Enough with the talk, it’s time for action!,” he added.
The announcement comes a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to more than two million people in the territory, a move that has received widespread condemnation.
Israel’s Ben-Gvir backs decision to cut electricity to Gaza
The far-right former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned from his cabinet position in January because he refused any ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, said that he supported the government’s move.
“I welcome the power cut to Gaza and the sector must be plunged into complete darkness immediately as long as there are still Israeli captives,” Ben-Gvir said. “Israel should bomb the massive fuel storage that entered the sector as part of the miserable [ceasefire] deal.”
The deal that Ben-Gvir opposes would secure the release of all Israeli captives held in Gaza if it were fully implemented.
Ben-Gvir – who was already notorious for his anti-Palestinian positions – has repeatedly urged that bombing resume on Gaza, and that the enclave be starved of all supplies from the outside.
He was blamed by one released captive, Eli Sharabi, of making boastful statements about the poor conditions faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israel that would lead to captives being mistreated. Ben-Gvir refused to apologise, and said that the media was repeating Hamas propaganda.
Israel cutting off electricity will affect water supply
To clarify, there was already little electricity supplied to Gaza. The only thing that did receive electricity were the water desalination plants in the southern parts of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians in Gaza have been suffering from a lack of water. We know there is no fuel to fill up the generators to pump the water and there are no cooking gas cylinders as a substitute.
Hamas says Gaza’s electricity cut off since start of war
The Palestinian groups says Israeli forces have already cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023, Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem made the remarks in a statement in response to Israel’s earlier decision today to immediately halt the supply of electricity to Gaza.
Israeli official says electricity cut will only affect one desalination plant
As we’ve been reporting – and despite the announcement from the Israeli energy minister today – Israel had already cut off almost all electricity from Gaza.
The Times of Israel is now reporting that the announcement that all electricity supplied from Israel will be cut will therefore only affect a single desalination plant in Deir el-Balah, according to an Israeli official. The tank serves more than 600,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Even power to that plant had been cut off after the beginning of the war in October 2023, but Israel announced in November 2024 that it was restoring power to the solitary plant.
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