ISRAEL SAYS THERE WILL BE NO ELECTRICITY, WATER OR FUEL FOR GAZA UNTIL THE HOSTAGES ARE FREED

 Israel says the siege of Gaza will not end until Israeli hostages are released

1. "No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter," says energy minister Israel Katz
2. At least 150 hostages were taken into Gaza during Hamas's deadly attacks on Israel at the weekend that killed 1,200 people
3. More than 1,300 have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes, with 338,000 displaced
   
   
   
4. On Wednesday, the only power station in Gaza ran out of fuel, meaning the territory is relying on generators
5. And the International Committee of the Red Cross warns hospital generators could run out of fuel today
6. The Israeli military says its air strikes are targeting Hamas's huge network of tunnels

7. During his short visit to Israel, Antony Blinken is also meeting the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog.

   Earlier, Herzog said Israel would try to protect civilians in Gaza - but would also "do whatever it takes with an iron fist" to protect Israelis.

   And later, during questions from journalists, Herzog reacted defiantly when asked about the scale of Israel's response to Hamas's deadly attacks.

   "We are working, operating militarily according to rules of international law, period. Unequivocally! But we’re at war. We are at war!"

8. We have been to the areas along the border with Gaza where very large numbers of troops are gathered.

   But the colonel at this morning’s Israeli military briefing said no political decision had yet been taken on whether or not to push ahead with a ground operation.

   The army is making contingency plans, he said, strengthening here in the south, and also in the north, near Lebanon, because of fears of a two-front war.

   So the logistics are being put in place, but, for the moment, there is still a political discussion about how to take this forward.

   Part of the calculations being made by the new Israeli war cabinet must be the fate of the hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza. One hard-right minister has been quoted in the Israeli press as saying "now is the time to be brutal’" – suggesting that they cannot be a factor.

   Many others are, of course, pushing for Israel to do all that they can to rescue them. The authorities here are attempting to identify and trace people in the video that has emerged in the aftermath of the raids. They have also said that Hamas will pay with their lives for what they have done.

   Israel has consistently said that every strike they are carrying out in Gaza is led by intelligence. As pictures continue to emerge of entire neighbourhoods there being destroyed, that has been questioned. But Israeli military insisted this morning that these are military targets.

   The issue is that, under the laws of war, to which Israel is a signatory, civilians are protected people and therefore armies have to do all they can to safeguard their welfare. And the accusation against Israel is that they are not doing that.

   Israelis deny that of course, but those voices will grow louder as the death toll mounts.

9. FULL ARTICLE AT: Israel Gaza live news: No electricity, water, or fuel for Gaza until hostages freed - Israel - BBC News