Israel has suggested that the long-term aim of its military campaign in Gaza is to sever all links with the territory.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that once Hamas had been defeated, Israel would end its “responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip”.
Before the conflict, Israel supplied Gaza with most of its energy needs and monitored imports into the territory.
The statement comes as Israel continues its strikes on Gaza and aid remains blocked on the border with Egypt.
The bombardments are a response to attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel on 7 October, in which at least 1,400 people were killed and 203 taken hostage. Israel is now poised to launch a ground offensive.
Yesterday, Mr Gallant told a parliamentary committee that the first stage of the campaign was meant to destroy Hamas’s infrastructure, according to a statement from his office.
Credit: BBC