Israel has moved to cut off electricity to Gaza after preventing the entry of aid, coinciding with ongoing negotiations on completing the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli website “i24” said that the decision, signed by Israeli Minister of Energy, Eli Cohen, states: “By virtue of my powers under Article 7 (d) of the license granted to the Electricity Company on 9/4/1997, I issue an order to the Electricity Company to stop selling electricity to Gaza Strip.”
According to i24, Cohen did not mention when the electricity would be cut off, but the Israeli website considered that the wording indicates that the step is immediate and without a deadline thus far.
Minister Cohen’s move comes against the backdrop of reports regarding progress in the negotiations on the ceasefire prisoner swap deal, as the security cabinet met on Sunday to discuss the mandate that the team that will travel to Qatar’s capital, Doha will receive.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that an Israeli negotiating delegation will leave on Monday, for Doha to discuss the developments.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to arrive in the Qatari capital on Tuesday.
The Gaza Electricity Company on Saturday explained that the power outage has resulted in a serious decline in various vital sectors, particularly health.
