Israel orders electricity cut in Gaza

BarcelonaIsraeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen on Sunday ordered the immediate cutting off of any electricity supply provided by the Israel Electric Corporation in the Gaza Strip, he said in a video message. A week after suspend all entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, now Israel is going a step further and also cutting off the electricity supply.

"I have signed an order to immediately cut off electricity in the Gaza Strip. Enough with talk. It's time to act!" Cohen said on his social media account X. The minister added that "all means at their disposal will be used to ensure the return of every year" to war," according to Efe.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the only electricity Israel was currently getting to the Gaza Strip was to run its sewage treatment plant, which will be shut down with this order. The few hospitals still operating rely on gasoline-powered generators.

Meanwhile, Israel announced on Sunday that it will send negotiators to Doha tomorrow, Monday, to continue ceasefire talks. Israel and Hamas said on Saturday that they were preparing for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations, as mediators continued talks to extend the fragile 42-day truce that began in January. According to a poll published on Sunday, however, 73% of Israelis favor continuing with the second stage of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in January, which involves, in a second phase, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and the release of all hostages in the Strip.

A Hamas delegation has met in recent days Two days with Egyptian mediators and has reaffirmed its readiness to negotiate the implementation of the second phase of the agreement.

Unprecedented bilateral negotiations between Hamas and the United States

In recent days, the Qatari capital has also hosted bilateral talks between Hamas and the United States, where members of the Palestinian organization have negotiated with Adam Boehler, Donald Trump's special envoy for the hostage issue. Boehler explained on Sunday that the talks have been "very productive" and that he is confident that "something can be resolved in Gaza in a matter of weeks," according to Al Jazeera.

For its part, Hamas explained to Reuters that the talks had focused on the release of a specific hostage who has dual Israeli and American nationality. Taher al Nono, Hamas' political adviser, has confirmed the unprecedented direct talks with Washington, who he said took place in the Qatari capital last week. "There have already been several meetings in Doha focused on the release of one of the prisoners with dual nationality. We have dealt with the issue in a positive and flexible manner, in a way that serves the interests of the Palestinian people," said Al Nono. He added that the two sides had also discussed how to move forward the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"We informed the American delegation that we do not oppose the release of the prisoner within the framework of these talks," Al-Nono told Reuters. Last week, President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East conflict, Steve Witkoff, said at the White House that securing the release of Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old New Jersey man believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a "top priority." Alexander was serving as a soldier with the Israeli army.