Israel sending delegation to Qatar as it cuts electricity to Gaza; Hamas says it’s ready to negotiate
TEL AVIV, Israel – An Israeli delegation will travel to the Gulf state of Qatar on Monday to hold talks on the continuation of the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s electricity minister announced he was cutting deliveries to the enclave.
The announcement on Sunday from Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen follows the suspension of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
Cohen posted on X a picture of him signing the order, which is effective immediately, writing: “Enough talk, it’s time for action.”
“We will use all means at our disposal to ensure that all hostages are returned and we will ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after,” Cohen said in a video message. Israel says 24 living hostages and 35 bodies of abducted individuals are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
A week ago, following the expiration of the first phase of a ceasefire, Israel ordered a complete halt to aid deliveries in order to put pressure on the Palestinian Islamist militia Hamas. Aid organizations have warned of dramatic consequences for the 2 million inhabitants of the coastal strip.
The power supply to the Gaza Strip via cables from Israel and Egypt has been patchy for years. After the start of the Gaza war a year and a half ago, the only power station in the Gaza Strip also ceased production. Many people make do with solar energy and generators.
Negotiations continue in the GulfEarlier on Sunday the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a delegation will travel to the Qatari capital Doha after accepting an invitation from the mediators.
With the mediation of the United States, Qatar and Egypt, Israel and Hamas agreed to an initial six-week ceasefire in January, in which 25 living hostages were exchanged for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which also enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical supplies to Gaza, ended on March 1.
There has been uncertainty for weeks over whether Israel and Hamas can transition to the next phase.
The negotiations in Doha aim to advance the sides to the second ceasefire phase, which is intended to definitively end the Gaza war. Hamas is to release any remaining hostages and the Israeli military is to complete its withdrawal from the territory.
Hamas says it is ready to negotiateA Hamas spokesman had stressed the group’s readiness to enter negotiations and reported “positive signs” that Phase 2 could be reached.
The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in southern Israeli communities and took around 250 hostages.
Israel responded with a massive bombardment of Gaza, laying much of the sealed-off territory to ruins, and also launched a ground incursion with the stated aim of fully eradicating Hamas.
More than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to Palestinian estimates.
On the ground on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood killed one Palestinian and injured two others, local health officials reported.
The Israeli military said militants had attempted to plant an explosive near one of its positions. The air force responded by targeting the group.