Israel says he has reduced electricity to Gaza in what seems to be another attempt to force Hamas to accept the changes he wants to impose on the cease-fire conditions agreed in January.
Israel imposed a blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza in early March to try to force Hamas to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and to release more captives.
He wants to do it to avoid going to the second phase, which would involve a permanent end of war.
Aid agencies, human rights organizations and countries, including some of the Israel allies, have denounced the decision, citing its humanitarian impact and its international laws prohibiting the collective sanction of a civilian population.
But according to the declarations of Gaza and the Media, this announcement of reduction of power is not as it seems.
Here is everything we know:
What exactly has Israel announced?
He said all electricity he provides Gaza will be cut.
On Sunday, in an article on social networks, the Israeli energy minister Eli Cohen said that he had “cut electricity to the Gaza Strip immediately”.
“Enough with the conversation, it is action time!” He said the day before another series of ceasefire negotiations in Doha.
However, according to Israeli media, the announcement may be less dramatic than his supporters have made it appear.
Do you mean Gaza is not going dark?
It was already dark.
According to Israel’s timesAll the electricity of Israel in Gaza was already cut following the attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, during which 1,139 people were killed in southern Israel and around 250 people were captured and taken to Gaza.
In November, the electricity supply of a desalination plant near Deir El-Balah in the center of Gaza was restored. The factory supports approximately 600,000 civilians mainly displaced in the center and south of Gaza.
The factory will now remain on the stored power, the generators and what remains of the solar panels not damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombings.
Has Israel reduced electricity and help?
No.
In his attempt to revise the terms of the ceasefire he signed in January, Israel also launched military strikes across the enclave and told the media that he was preparing a resumption of fighting in Gaza.
The Gaza Ministry of Health has published daily summaries of civilians killed during the ceasefire.
The Palestinians of Rafah, where Israel now wants to keep a military presence in violation of the ceasefire, have been attacked by Israeli tanks and drones since Friday, killing at least three people and injuring more.
How did Hamas respond?
In a statement published on Sunday evening, Hamas accused Israel of “cheap blackmail”.
“We strongly condemn the decision of the occupation to cut the electricity in Gaza, after having deprived it of food, medicine and water,” wrote Izzat Al Rinesheq, member of the Hamas political bureau, characterizing the decision as “a desperate attempt to put pressure on our people and their resistance”.
“Cutting the electricity, closing level passages, stopping aid, help and fuel and hungry our people, constitutes a collective punishment and a full war crime,” added Al-Risheq.
Who supports Israel in this area?
The United States.
Israel says that its current Gaza blockage is in fact to force Hamas to comply with a proposal from the American envoy Steve Witkoff involving the extension of the first phase of the ceasefire and returning a certain number of Israeli captives.
Witkoff has not yet publicly confirmed its role in the plan that it is widely credited with having designed.
However, addressing journalists before Monday’s talks in Doha, Witkoff confirmed its full support and the continuous support of the US administration in Israel, to and including American and Israeli military action against Hamas.
At the same time, the United States conducts direct talks with Hamas about the release of five captives with American citizenship which are held by the group, only one is considered alive.
Who does not support Israel in these blockages?
About everyone.
Egypt and Qatar, who have publicized cease-fire talks, as well as Saudi Arabia and Jordan have published this month criticizing the Israeli movement to block food, drugs and fuel in the band.
“Humanitarian aid should never be subject to a ceasefire or used as a political tool,” Germany and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Yoav Gallant Defense Minister Gallant last year, sentenced the Block to aid.
International rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, also condemned the renewed blockade, describing it as a violation of international law and a crime against humanity.
How could this affect the current negotiations in Qatar?
This remains to be seen.
Hamas said in a statement that he had “treated in a flexible manner” with mediators, including the American envoy Adam Boehler, who oversees direct talks on American captives and hopes to take the second stage of the ceasefire.
As part of these talks, according to information from the Israeli media, Hamas envisages demands in parallel in the United States “on the head of Israel” that the current stopover stage is extended for 60 days in exchange for the return of 10 living Israeli captives.
