Hazem Qassem, the spokesperson for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), stated that Israel has effectively cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its war in October 2023. His comments came in response to Israel's recent decision to halt power supply to Gaza "immediately." "In practice, the Israeli occupation has deprived Gaza of electricity since the first day of the war," Qassem said. He described the move as part of a broader campaign to enforce a "starvation policy" against the Palestinian population, accusing Israel of violating international laws and norms. Qassem called for urgent implementation of resolutions from the recent Arab summit that rejected the blockade on Gaza and condemned the use of collective punishment against its residents. Meanwhile, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced he had signed an order to halt all electricity supply to Gaza, just a week after Israel tightened restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the Strip. "I just signed an order to immediately stop the electricity supply to Gaza," Cohen declared in a video statement. "We will use all available means to recover the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza after the war." In a related development, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted informed sources suggesting that "all efforts" are now focused on negotiations set to take place on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. According to the report, Israeli officials believe an agreement could be reached by Tuesday or Wednesday, with hostages potentially being released as early as the weekend. These developments follow remarks by US envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler, who described recent US talks with Hamas on the matter as "very useful." Speaking to CNN, Boehler did not rule out additional meetings and suggested that a breakthrough regarding Gaza could be reached within weeks, though he declined to provide further details.
