Israel’s Energy Minister Eli Cohen, on Sunday (Mar 9), said that he had instructed the Israel Electric Corporation to immediately cut off the supply of electricity to Gaza.
The move came a week after Israel blocked aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
“I have just signed the order to stop supplying electricity immediately to the Gaza Strip,” Cohen said in a video statement.
“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, he added.
Also read: Hamas confirms multiple meetings with US on Gaza ceasefire deal
Israel blocks aid flow into Gaza
Israel blocked aid from entering Gaza on Sunday (Mar 2), as the initial six-week phase of the ceasefire in the region came to an end.
The ceasefire had enabled the entry of vital items like food, shelter and medical assistance after over 15 months of fighting.
The Palestinian militant group handed over 25 living hostages, under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, and eight bodies in exchange for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, 251 people were taken captive, out of which 58 still remain in Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed that at least 34 of these captives are dead.
Netanyahu warns Hamas of consequences it ‘cannot imagine’ if Gaza hostages not released
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday (Mar 3), had warned Hamas of consequences it “cannot imagine” if the militant group did not release the hostages still held in Gaza.
“I tell Hamas: If you do not release our hostages, there will be consequences that you cannot imagine,” Netanyahu told lawmakers.
Defence Minister Israel Katz later echoed the same message stating, “the gates of Gaza will be locked, and the gates of hell will open”.
“We will return to fighting, and they will face the (army) with forces and methods they have never encountered — until a decisive victory,” he said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)