Israel plans to cut off water, electricity to Gaza
‘The longer Hamas continues to refuse, the more leverage Israel will have,’ Netanyahu’s spokesman says
Palestinians in Rafah endure water shortages amid devastation
JERUSALEM
An Israeli spokesman said Tuesday that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government does not rule out cutting off water and electricity to the Gaza Strip to pressure the Palestinian group Hamas.
"The longer Hamas continues to refuse, the more leverage Israel will have," Netanyahu’s spokesman Omer Dostri told the local radio 94FM.
"We have a series of measures to pressure Hamas. We also prepare militarily to return to fighting, and we do not rule out the possibility of cutting off water and electricity to Gaza," he said.
Israel “is fully coordinating with the US and wants to give a chance to return as many living hostages as possible,” the spokesman said.
Netanyahu has refused to enter negotiations for the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. Instead, he wants to extend the first phase of the deal.
The Israeli government halted the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday, shortly after the first phase of the ceasefire deal ended.
Hamas has refused to proceed under these conditions, insisting that Israel abide by the terms of the ceasefire and immediately start negotiations for the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the war.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing unnamed sources, said Israel plans to implement an escalatory strategy against Gaza within a week, including cutting off electricity, assassinations, and displacing Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south.
Nearly 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli war since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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