Hamas says Israel cut to Gaza electricity 'unacceptable blackmail'

Hamas accused Israel of “cheap and unacceptable blackmail” over its decision on Sunday to halt the electricity supply to war-ravaged Gaza in an effort to pressure the Palestinian militants into releasing hostages.

“We strongly condemn the occupation’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza, after depriving it of food, medicine, and water,” Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau said in a statement, adding it was “a desperate attempt to pressure our people and their resistance through cheap and unacceptable blackmail tactics.”