Egypt decries Israel's power cuts to Gaza, rejects ‘collective punishment’ of Palestinians

By Ibrahim Khazen and Rania Abu Shamala

CAIRO (AA) - Egypt denounced on Tuesday an Israeli decision to cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip, reaffirming its complete rejection of "collective punishment” policies pursued by Tel Aviv.

Egypt “condemns Israel’s act of cutting off electricity to Gaza, which constitutes a new violation of international humanitarian law,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry reiterated Egypt’s “full rejection of Israel’s collective punishment policies, including the suspension of humanitarian aid,” warning that such actions “exacerbate the situation in Gaza.”

It called on the international community “to assume its responsibilities and take necessary measures to halt these violations.”

Israel cut off the electricity supply to Gaza on Sunday, in the latest move to tighten a stifling blockade on the Palestinian enclave despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

It followed an Israeli decision last week to stop humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, prompting warnings from local and human rights groups of a return to widespread hunger for the Palestinian population.

More than 48,500 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught was paused under the ceasefire and prisoner swap deal, which took hold in January.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.