Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) spoke out Thursday against Israel’s plans to block electricity, water and fuel from Gaza, calling it a “collective punishment and a violation of international law.”
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz promised as much this week interrupt the energy supply into the isolated Palestinian territory until Hamas militants from the area release Israeli hostages they took in one of the group’s most brutal attacks on Jewish land in decades.
“We cannot let nearly a million children starve because of the horrific actions of Hamas, whose disregard for Israeli, Palestinian and human life as a whole could not be clearer,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Due to Israel’s land, air and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places in the world, its residents rely solely on fuel, which must pass through Israel to reach them. The same goes for food, clean water, medical supplies and other essential goods.
It’s been Gaza since Wednesday without electricity After the only power plant ran out of fuel, the head of the territory’s energy authority told CNN.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that Israel’s blockade would have devastating consequences for the Palestinians.
“With the blackout in Gaza, hospitals are also losing power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients receiving oxygen at risk. Kidney dialysis is stopped and x-rays cannot be taken. Without electricity, hospitals risk becoming morgues,” said ICRC regional director Fabrizio Carboni said Thursday. “Families in Gaza are already struggling to access clean water. No parent wants to be forced to give dirty water to a thirsty child.”
Carboni added that the ICRC was in contact with both Hamas and Israeli officials to facilitate a solution.
“The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent and I implore the sides to alleviate the suffering of civilians,” he said.