Israel: No Power, Water for Gaza Until Hostages Are Returned

Gaza's only power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday amid what Israel calls a "complete siege"—and the country's energy minister says supplies won't be restored until Hamas frees the hostages seized during its surprise attack Saturday. "Not a single electricity switch will be flipped on, not a single faucet will be turned on, and not a single fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home," Israel Katz tweeted, per the AP. The border crossing between Gaza and Egypt remains closed but UNICEF says it is ready to send urgently needed supplies.

• Hospitals losing power. Aid groups have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis, with hospitals overwhelmed with people injured in airstrikes set to run out of fuel for their generators. Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, called the siege "not acceptable," the New York Times reports. "As Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk. Kidney dialysis stops, and X-rays can't be taken," he said. "Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues."

• Prisoner deal may be a long way off. Militants are believed to have seized around 150 hostages from Israel and while Qatar and Egypt are believed to be trying to negotiate a deal, the chances of even a partial release appear slim. "One idea being mooted is for Hamas to release its women and child prisoners in exchange for 36 Palestinian women and adolescent prisoners being held in Israeli jails," says Frank Gardner at the BBC. "But with tensions and anger sky-high on both sides, neither Israel nor Hamas are in the mood for compromise or concessions."
• IDF "preparing for next stages." Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, said the military is "preparing ourselves for the next stages of war," though the government has not yet made a decision on a ground invasion of Gaza. He said the military has stepped up airstrikes on Gaza but denied that "carpet bombing" was taking place. "We are not going for any target which is not based on intelligence."

• ISIS flags found on militants. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, another IDF spokesperson, said Israel's goal is to destroy "Hamas capabilities and sovereignty in Gaza," the Washington Post reports. He said ISIS flags were found on dead militants in Israel. "Whoever supports Hamas supports ISIS," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to "crush and destroy" Hamas in response to atrocities. "Every Hamas member is a dead man," he said.
• Death toll climbs on both sides. Israeli authorities say more than 1,300 people were killed in the Hamas attack. The Palestinian health ministry said the toll in Gaza was 1,200 early Thursday, including at least 326 children and 171 women, per the AP. The Israeli military has revised the number of dead Hamas fighters found in the country down from 1,500 to 1,000, the Wall Street Journal reports.

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)