Israel is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza following Hamas’ refusal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
While the full extent of the effects of the power cut is not yet known, Gaza’s desalination plants use it to produce drinking water for the besieged enclave’s population of more than two million.
It comes after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to Gaza last week.
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Israel is seeking to get Hamas to agree to an extended first phase of a fragile ceasefire agreement which would see half of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza released in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.
The first phase of the ceasefire deal, which in January brought to a halt the otherwise relentless bombing of Gaza since October 2023, ended last weekend.
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Hamas, the militant group responsible for the 7 October 2023 attacks which saw 1,200 people killed in southern Israel and 250 taken hostage, wants to start discussions for a second and more complicated phase of the ceasefire.
The second phase would see all hostages released from captivity in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace.
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Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
The first phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas said Sunday it wrapped up the latest round of ceasefire talks with Egyptian mediators without changes to its position, calling for an immediate start of the ceasefire’s second phase.
Israel has said it would send a delegation to Qatar on Monday “in an effort to advance the negotiations” around the ceasefire.
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Its decision to cut off supplies to Gaza, where according to local authorities more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive, has come under fire.
“Any denial of the entry of the necessities of life for civilians may amount to collective punishment,” the United Nations human rights office said Friday.
Israel has denied the accusations, saying it has allowed in enough aid and blaming shortages on what it called the United Nations’ inability to distribute it.
Meanwhile, unprecedented and direct talks between Hamas leaders and Washington in recent days focused on the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, 21 and from New Jersey.
