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Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has voiced profound concern over the Israeli occupation authorities' decision to disconnect electricity from the Gaza Strip.
The organization views this as part of a broader policy aimed at imposing living conditions that threaten the survival of the Palestinian population. Labeling the announcement by Energy Minister Eli Cohen of the Netanyahu government as a component of renewed genocide, the organization highlighted its severity. This development follows a dangerous escalation just one week prior, when the prime minister declared that humanitarian aid would be severed for over two million civilians in Gaza.
On Sunday, Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced in a video statement that he had ordered a halt to electricity sales to the Gaza Strip, exercising his authority. Since October 7, 2023, civilians in Gaza have lacked basic services, including electricity, due to widespread infrastructure damage and targeted attacks on essential facilities—such as healthcare, sewage, water, and power networks. International reports estimate that 72% of Gaza’s housing units have been destroyed during 15 months of bombardment by Israeli forces. WJWC noted that the Israeli occupation deliberately cut power to critical facilities and repeatedly targeted small hospital generators, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and depriving civilians of vital hospital services.
The Gaza Electricity Company reported last Saturday that the Strip has endured 519 days without electricity due to ongoing destruction, coinciding with an announcement from Israel's Energy Minister regarding the official suspension of power flow to the region. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has characterized this action as facilitating genocide. Additionally, the Israeli Prime Minister recently declared a cessation of aid to Gaza, threatening further military escalation, which has been condemned by WJWC as a dangerous step toward exacerbating the humanitarian crisis affecting over 2 million Palestinians.
WJWC highlighted that as Gaza residents awaited the implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire protocol to facilitate the entry of aid, mobile homes, and essential supplies for hospitals, the Netanyahu government has instead escalated its actions against civilians. By failing to implement the humanitarian protocol, blocking aid, and cutting essential services like electricity, the government is in clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention.
The organization warns against the intentional policies that render life in Gaza untenable, asserting that access to basic services and humanitarian aid is a fundamental right under international law. It condemns the manipulation of human rights for political or military leverage and denounces the Israeli government's rhetoric that incites genocide and aims for the depopulation of Gaza, exacerbated by support for proposals advocating the expulsion of Palestinians.
WJWC has observed statements from senior officials in the Israeli government that endorse measures by the Ministry of Energy, which appear to further a genocidal agenda aimed at depopulating Gaza. Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir lauded the decision to cut electricity to the region, suggesting that the electricity company should also disconnect the wastewater treatment plant. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented on logistical challenges related to implementing former US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, noting that removing 5,000 people daily would take a year to execute.
WJWC reported that Palestinians are still recovering bodies from massacres committed by Israeli forces in Gaza, with the death toll reaching 48,458 since October 7, 2023, per the Ministry of Health. Many victims remain trapped under rubble or on roads, inaccessible to ambulance and civil defense teams due to equipment shortages. The group urged the international community, especially influential nations, to pressure Israel to end the Netanyahu government’s actions and prevent further genocide.
It stressed that global powers must uphold moral and legal duties, enforce international law, and counter Israel’s displacement plans, including blocking humanitarian aid and denying civilians essentials like electricity. The organization also demanded accountability for those behind these crimes under international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention, calling for swift justice for individuals sought by the International Criminal Court.
