The United Nations said Monday that Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza was “very concerning”, warning that civilians in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory would face dire consequences.
Israel has halted aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip and has now cut its electricity supply, disconnecting the only power line to a water desalination plant in order to ramp up pressure on Hamas.
“Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza following its ban last week on the entry of all humanitarian assistance and other necessities of life, including fuel needed to operate generators, is very concerning,” Seif Magango, spokesman for the UN human rights office, told AFP in an email.
“With no electricity and with fuel being blocked, Gaza’s remaining water desalination plants, healthcare facilities, and bakeries are at risk of eventually shutting down, with dire consequences for civilians.”
Magango said that as the occupying power, Israel had a legal obligation to ensure the provision of the necessities of life for Palestinians living under its control.
“In addition, blocking access to the necessities of life for civilians intended to pressure a party to an armed conflict through hardship imposed on the civilian population as a whole raises serious concerns of collective punishment,” he added.
Israel’s negotiating team left for Qatar on Monday to attend talks aimed at extending the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
The first phase of the truce deal expired on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages to secure a lasting end to the war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
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