GAZA: Gaza's civil defence agency reported an Israeli air strike targeting a group of people in Gaza City on Tuesday, killing four. "There are four martyrs... as a result of an Israeli strike on a group of citizens in the Netzarim area, south of Gaza City," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, adding those killed were men in their 20s. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports of the strike.
Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Tuesday condemned Israel's decision to cut electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip, urging the international community to take action. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry expressed "condemnation in the strongest terms of the Israeli occupation authorities' use of collective punishment against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by cutting off electricity to the area". A Qatari statement said the wealthy Gulf state "strongly condemns the Israeli occupation's act of cutting electricity to the Gaza Strip, considering it a blatant violation of international humanitarian law". Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Sufyan Qudah called the electricity cut "a clear continuation of the policy of starvation and siege imposed by Israel", about a week after Israeli authorities blocked the entry of aid into Gaza. Jordan's Qudah called on the world "to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, and oblige Israel to continue with the ceasefire agreement... restore electricity to Gaza" and reopen border crossings for aid deliveries.
The United Nations warned of "dire consequences" for Gaza's beleaguered population, while Britain said it was "deeply concerned". Saudi Arabia called on the international community to "take urgent actions immediately", while Qatar also urged "immediate action to provide the necessary protection for the Palestinian people".
Israel's negotiating team left for Qatar on Monday for talks aimed at extending the fragile Gaza ceasefire after the authorities cut the Palestinian territory's electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas. Ahead of the negotiations, Israel disconnected the only power line to a water desalination plant in Gaza, a move Hamas denounced as "cheap and unacceptable blackmail".
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 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. Hamas accused Israel of reneging on the ceasefire deal, saying in a statement on Monday that Israel "refuses to commence the second phase, exposing its intentions of evasion and stalling".
Israel's move echoed the early days of the war when Israel announced a "complete siege" on the Palestinian territory, severing the electricity supply, which only began flowing again in late 2024. Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al Qanoua said Israel's move would impact its hostages still held in Gaza. "The decision to cut electricity is a failed option and poses a threat to its prisoners, who will only be freed through negotiations," Qanoua said in a statement on Monday.
Germany's foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said that cutting off electricity was "unacceptable and not compatible with (Israel's) obligations under international law". But Israel's key military ally, the United States, appeared to back the decision. "The Israelis are going to do what they believe is in their interest to force Hamas to make a decision," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists. The sole power line between Israel and Gaza supplies electricity to the territory's main desalination plant, and Gazans now mainly rely on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.
Hamas meanwhile accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by keeping its troops at the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border. Hamas said that, according to the ceasefire deal, Israel was to remove troops from the corridor by Sunday. Israel seized the area last year and insists that controlling it is vital to stop smuggling of weapons into Gaza. — AFP
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