In a grave escalation of its blockade, Israeli occupation authorities have completely cut off electricity to Gaza, just days after blocking humanitarian aid from entering the besieged enclave.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced that the decision was made under his executive authority, claiming that it was a pressure tactic against Hamas in the ongoing negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal. While no official timeline for enforcement was specified, the announcement strongly implied immediate implementation, with no indication of when the measure would be lifted.
This decision constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which explicitly prohibits collective punishment of civilian populations. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that “no protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed, and collective penalties and all measures of intimidation or terrorism are prohibited.”
Similarly, Article 54 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions forbids targeting infrastructure essential for civilian survival, including water and energy systems.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has warned that cutting electricity to Gaza places the civilian population at extreme risk, heightening the threat of genocide. She emphasised that this measure will cause water desalination plants to shut down, further reducing access to clean water and endangering millions of Palestinians.
Albanese further stated that “the failure to impose sanctions or an arms embargo on Israel is enabling one of the most preventable acts of genocide in modern history to unfold in Gaza.”
Alongside the electricity cut, Israel has completely sealed off all crossings into Gaza, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid. This action directly contravenes Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which defines “deliberately starving civilians as a method of warfare, including by obstructing relief supplies,” as a war crime.
Although a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt and Qatar came into effect on 19 January, Israel has continued military operations and tightened restrictions on the Strip, further exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.
The agreement was supposed to move into its second phase, leading to an end to hostilities, yet Israel has reneged on its commitments, extending the initial phase in an attempt to exert further pressure on the Palestinian resistance without offering any reciprocal guarantees.
Gaza is now facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, with civilians enduring relentless bombardment, power and water cuts, and severe shortages of food and medical supplies. Calls are growing for immediate international intervention to halt these grave violations and hold those responsible accountable for their crimes.
