Israel will stop supplying electricity to Gaza "immediately," Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced on Sunday.
"We will activate every tool we have to ensure our hostages return home and Hamas is not in Gaza after the war," he said.
Cohen signed the order to stop the flow of electricity to Gaza shortly after the announcement.
On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel’s step-by-step plan to pressure Hamas would begin with blocking the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza, with the next phase being the shutting of electricity and water.
In July, Israel connected a water facility in Gaza to Israel’s electric grid to provide water on a medium- to longer-term basis for Gazans at a rate of up to 20,000 liters per day, a policy that served to maintain Israel’s global legitimacy, IDF sources said.
After US President Donald Trump’s February threat to Hamas to release all hostages in one fell swoop, he said that the US "will back" whatever decision Israel makes in response.
Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, have also warned of a return to war should Hamas refuse to comply.
The next steps
If all economic and infrastructure pressures fail, Israel may escalate to targeted airstrikes and special forces raids against Hamas leadership and military positions, Israeli security analysts briefed on the plan told the Wall Street Journal.
The next step could involve forcing Palestinians who returned to northern Gaza during the ceasefire to evacuate once again.
Global reactions
"Welcomes the shutdown of electricity to Gaza, even though after pumping millions of liters of fuel into the Strip and tens of thousands of generators, all that the Electric Company has left to disconnect in Gaza now is a sewage treatment plant," former minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X. "The Gaza Strip must be completely and immediately blacked out, as long as even one Israeli hostage is being held there. Israel must bomb the vast fuel depots that entered the Strip as part of the unfortunate deal, as well as the generators operated by Hamas. I am sure that the Shin Bet will be able to provide information about the exact location of the depots and generators."
מברך על עצירת החשמל לעזה, למרות שאחרי הזרמת מיליוני ליטרים של דלק לרצועה ורבבות גנרטורים, כל שנותר לחברת החשמל לנתק כעת בעזה הוא מתקן טיהור שפכים. יש להחשיך את רצועת עזה לחלוטין ובאופן מיידי, כל זמן שאפילו חטוף ישראלי אחד מוחזק שם. על ישראל להפציץ את מאגרי הדלק העצומים שנכנסו…
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) March 9, 2025
"Israel cutting off electricity supplies to Gaza means, among other, no fucnitoning desalination stations, ergo: no clean water," Former UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, wrote on X.
❌GENOCIDE ALERT!❌Israel cutting off electricity supplies to Gaza means, among others, no functioning desalination stations, ergo: no clean water. STILL NO SANCTION/NO ARMS EMBARGO against Israel means, among others, AIDING AND ASSISTING Israel in the commission of one of the… https://t.co/x2cX4MuP0K
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) March 9, 2025