Energy Minister Eli Cohen signed an order today, Sunday, ordering the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) to stop the transmission of electricity to the Gaza Strip. The move will not have an immediate effect, as Israel currently only supplies electricity to support the enclave’s desalination plant, with most of the electricity being supplied by fuel or generators. However, with Israel blocking the supply of fuel to Gaza as part of the hold on humanitarian aid, eventually fuel reserves in the Strip will dwindle, leading to a loss of electricity throughout most of the enclave. “We will employ all the tools available to us so that all the hostages will return, and we will ensure that Hamas won’t be in Gaza on the ‘day after,'” Cohen said in a video statement after signing the order. The first step of the effort is the halting of humanitarian aid, which Israel implemented last week. The next stage, which it appears to be implementing today, is the cessation of electricity to the Gaza Strip. If Hamas fails to respond to these steps, the next phase appears to be calling on the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south ahead of a renewed military campaign. If talks fail, the IDF is prepared to resume fighting, and according to a report over the weekend in the Wall Street Journal, it would return to Gaza with a much larger military force than it has deployed so far. Trump has previously said he would support an Israeli decision to return to fighting. 
Israel announces halt to electricity supply to Gaza in move to increase pressure on Hamas:
