Eli Cohen, the Minister of Energy of Israel, ordered to cut off electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. As he explained in a statement published on Sunday, this is to increase the pressure on the ruling enclave Hamas, which still holds 59 abducted Israelis. The AP agency indicates that cutting off regions from electricity can bring serious consequences in access to drinking water.
“We will use all available tools to bring the hostages back and make Hamas not in gas,” said Eli Cohen. “The full effects of cutting off electricity were not clear to observers, but the territory consumes energy, among others, for the exposure of sea water, making it drinking. The minister's statement was published a week after cutting off the supply of goods to the Gaza Strip,” said AP.
Israel He tries to emphasize the terrorist group Hamas to agree to extend the first phase of the weapon suspension.
Half of the hostages for the promise of a permanent truce
The Israeli government wants Hamas to free half of the other hostages in exchange for the promise of negotiating a permanent truce. Hamas refuses because he prefers to start negotiations on the more difficult phase of the weapon suspension. On Sunday, the group said that it ended the last round of talks with Egyptian mediators regarding a truce without changes in their position – the agency reminded. It also called to immediately start the second phase of the weapon suspension. This suspension interrupted the fighting in the Gaza Zone caused by Hamas attacks to southern Israel on October 7, 2023. During the offensive, Palestinian terrorists killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250. In retaliation, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip. According to the data provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health since the start of the conflict killed by the Israeli armed forces, over 45,000 Palestinians have been.
The currently ended phase of the truce allowed the return of 25 live hostages and the return of the remains of eight in exchange for releasing nearly two thousand Palestinian prisoners. As part of the suspension, Israeli forces withdrew to the “buffer zones”, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to the north of the zones. Wide supplies of humanitarian aid were also resumed.
Hamas attack on Israel PAP/Reuters – Maciej Zieliński
The US is negotiating with Hamas
Last Wednesday, the White House unexpectedly confirmed that USA They conduct direct conversations with Hamas, which is a break with the US -USE -free policy of not being involved in negotiations with terrorists.
On Sunday, the US President for Hostage President Adam Boehler told CNN that in his opinion “a kind of long -term truce can be seen in which prisoners are released, Hamas plays a weapon and agrees that he will not be part of a political party in the future. I think it's real,” he said. He also stated that in his opinion “something could be successful within a few weeks.” Boehler emphasized that it works in the interest of the US, not Israel. “In the Gaza Strip, one hostage is still being kept with both American and Israeli citizenship.
Source of the main photo: Mohammed Saber/PAP/EPA