No electricity, fuel, water for Gaza until hostages freed: Israel Minister

—According to Israeli authorities, the militant group has taken up 150 people as hostages in Gaza following its attack on October 7

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said that there will be no supply of electricity, fuel or water for the Gaza Strip until the Hamas militant group frees hostages.

In a post on X, the Minister said: “No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter (Gaza) until the Israeli abductees are returned home.

“Humanitarian for humanitarian. And no one will preach us morals.”

According to Israeli authorities, the militant group has taken up 150 people as hostages in Gaza following its attack on October 7.

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In retaliation to the unprecedented assault, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday had ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel.

The Gaza Strip’s only power station stopped working on Wednesday due to fuel shortages.

As a result, every facility in the hamas-controlled enclave, including the hospitals, are relying on generators, which in turn need fresh supplies of fuel.

On Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that the hospitals now risk turning into morgues as they lose power.

“The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent, and I implore the sides to reduce the suffering of civilians,” the BBC quoted the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, Fabrizio Carboni, as saying.

“As Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk. Kidney dialysis stops, and X-rays can’t be taken.”

Gaza, one of the most densely populated places where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles, has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years, when Hamas seized control.

This prompted Israel and Egypt to impose a strict siege on the territory, which is ongoing.

Israel also maintains an air and naval blockade on Gaza.

More than half of the enclave’s population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80 per cent relying on humanitarian assistance.

Death toll in Israel-Hamas conflict spikes to over 2,500

The death toll in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip has increased to more than 2,500, with more fatalities expected as the violence continued for a sixth day on Thursday.

In a report, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news said that at least 1,300 Israelis have died since the Hamas launched its brutal assault on October 7.

The Health Ministry said 3,268 people were injured, of which 443 were still in hospitals, reports Xinhua news agency.

Attempts to find bodies in southern towns and villages continued on Thursday, Israeli authorities said.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 1,203 Palestinians have been killed and 5,763 others injured since Israel’s bombardment on the Hamas-controlled enclave began shortly after the attack.

In its latest situation update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that of the total displaced persons in Gaza, 218,597 or 65 per cent were taking shelter in 92 schools run by the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) as of Thursday morning.

“Numerous residential buildings in densely populated areas, including Al Karama neighborhood in Gaza North, as well as Al Rimal, and Al Naser in Gaza city have been among the most heavily targeted, leading to casualties among the elderly, women, and children,” the OCHA said.

Since the start of hostilities, at least 28 Palestinian families have had all their members killed.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Public Works and Housing, at least 2,540 housing units have been destroyed, or severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable, and another 22,850 sustained moderate to minor damage.