Already under siege, the heavily-blockaded Gaza Strip, housing more than two million displaced people, as well as the remaining Israeli hostages, is now completely without electricity.

The Israeli government has ordered the Israel Electric Corporation to cease suppling power to the Gaza Strip.

"I just signed an order for the immediate halt of electricity to the Gaza Strip," Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said  Saturday.

Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza slammed the move. "This behavior confirms the occupation's intent to continue its genocidal war against Gaza, through the use of starvation policies, in clear disregard for all international laws and norms," Hamas' spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Sunday.

Due to previous power cuts, particularly on 7 October 2023 following the Hamas-led attacks on that day, Gaza has largely relied on petrol-powered generators and solar panels. However those generators are now being earmarked for boming raids.

"The Gaza Strip must be completely and immediately blacked out as long as even one Israeli hostage is being held there," Israeli government minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Sunday . "Israel must bomb the huge fuel depots that entered the Strip as part of the unfortunate deal, as well as the generators operated by Hamas."

The cutting off of electricity follows Israel's closure of the two main crossings into Gaza last week, which has prevented any humanitarian aid being delivered into Gaza, one of the key conditions of the ceasefire that is supposed to be in force.

Israel has refused to abide by the ceasefire deal which requires the parties to move to the second phase of negotiations. Instead Israel wants to extend the first phase by another six weeks. Because Hamas is insisting the original terms of the deal be abided by, Israel has decided to mete out punishment to the entire Gazan population, and by extension the remaining Israeli hostages.

"We strongly condemn the occupation's decision to cut off electricity to Gaza, after depriving it of food, medicine, and water," Ezzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau said in a statement Sunday, describing it as "a desperate attempt to pressure our people and their resistance through cheap and unacceptable blackmail tactics."

"Cutting off electricity, closing the crossings, stopping aid, relief and fuel, and starving our people, constitutes collective punishment and a full-fledged war crime," al-Rishq said.

Fifty-nine of the 152 Israeli hostages remain in captivity, while thousands of Palestinians, rounded up and detained after the 7 October attacks, continue to be held in Israeli jails.

Released Israeli hostages have complained of a lack of food, water and medical treatment  during captivity, notwithstanding all of this was caused by their government's actions.  Palestinian prisoners being released from Israeli jails are making claims they were tortured and beaten.

Meantime, the U.S. is leading a resumption of talks to address the stalemate. Israel has also agreed to participate in talks and has agreed to send a delegation to Doha, the Qatar capital on Monday,