RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority on Monday said Israel's decision to halt the electricity supply to Gaza was "an escalation in the genocide" in the war-ravaged territory. The Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement that it "strongly condemns the Israeli Ministry of Energy's decision to cut electricity to the Gaza Strip, considering it an escalation in the genocide, displacement and humanitarian disaster in Gaza", which is controlled by Hamas and not the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.
The British government on Monday called on Israel to restore the electricity supply to Gaza, warning the country could be in violation of international law. "We're deeply concerned by these reports and urge Israel to lift these restrictions," Prime Minister Keir Starmer's official spokesman told reporters. "We're clear that a halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza, including basic needs such as electricity, risks breaching Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law."
The German government said on Monday that Israel's decision to halt aid deliveries and cut off the electricity supply to Gaza could prompt a fresh humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. Referring to the decision to stop aid, foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told a regular press conference Gaza was "again threatened with a food shortage". "We note with great concern the cutting off of electricity and the discussion about stopping the water supply," she said. "Such steps are or would be unacceptable and incompatible with (Israel's) obligations under international law," Deschauer added. She said that Germany "calls on the Israeli government to lift restrictions for all forms of humanitarian aid to Gaza with immediate effect".
Israel's negotiating team left for Qatar on Monday for talks aimed at extending the fragile Gaza ceasefire, after Israel cut the Palestinian territory's electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas. The first phase of the truce deal expired on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages that should secure a lasting end to the war that erupted with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. There are differences over how to proceed -- Hamas wants immediate negotiations on the next phase, but Israel prefers extending phase one. An Israeli official familiar with the negotiations said that the country's team had left for Doha. Media reports said the delegation was led by a top official from the domestic security agency Shin Bet.
Israel has halted aid deliveries to Gaza amid the deadlock, and said that it was cutting the electricity supply. "We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after" the war, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said. The move echoed the early days of the war when Israel announced a "complete siege" on the Palestinian territory, severing the electricity supply which was only restored in mid-2024.
Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al Qanoua said Israel's move will impact its hostages still held in Gaza. "The decision to cut electricity is a failed option and poses a threat to its (Israeli) prisoners, who will only be freed through negotiations," Qanoua said in a statement on Monday.
The Palestinian group accused Israel of reneging on a ceasefire deal that halted the Gaza war, as Israeli negotiators were due in Qatar to discuss a potential extension. "The (Israeli) occupation continues to renege on the agreement and refuses to commence the second phase, exposing its intentions of evasion and stalling," Hamas said in a statement, after the initial phase of the truce had expired with no agreement on subsequent stages that could secure a permanent end to the war.
Gaza residents said that the electricity cut will only worsen their situation. "The decision to cut off electricity is proof of a war of extermination," Dina al Sayigh said from Gaza City. "The occupation never stops killing Palestinian civilians, whether by bombing, missiles or by starvation." — AFP
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