Jerusalem, Oct 9 (UNI) Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered “a complete siege” on the Gaza Strip on Monday in response to the deadly attack on Israel by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, the ruler of the Strip.
“We are putting a complete siege on Gaza,” Gallant said in a video statement when assessing the situation with top Israeli military officials. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel … it’s all closed,” Gallant warned.
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli national water company Mekorot to “immediately cut off the water supply (to Gaza),” noting that the Israeli supply of electricity and fuel to the area was cut off on Sunday.
These moves came after the fighting between Israel and Gaza militants following a Hamas surprise attack against Israel on Saturday. The Hamas attack has so far killed at least 700 people in Israel, while retaliatory Israeli airstrikes killed at least 493 in Gaza.
Israel controls part of the electricity supply to Gaza, as well as the import and export of goods and medicines and the passage of people in and out of the coastal enclave.
The enclave, home to about 2.3 million people, has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007.
