Senior IDF officer warns Gaza’s electricity woes could lead to war

A senior army officer warns that an impending power outage in the Gaza Strip could lead to a conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The coastal enclave is expected to run out of fuel to run its power plant due to a spat between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority over taxes.

“The story there is Hamas’s dilemma — to where do you put the money? To military channels to civilian needs in the Strip?” the officer says.

“There’s a chance this could lead Hamas to a quarrel with Israel,” he adds.

During a briefing with reporters, the senior official also says Israel’s latest strike against a Hezbollah weapons cache took out 100 missiles.

The officer did not specify to which Israeli attack he was referring, as the military does not generally discuss the specifics of its airstrikes abroad. But according to foreign reports, the latest Israeli attack on a Hezbollah post took place on March 20.

The officer, who spoke anonymously, reiterates the army’s stance that it does not discuss its airstrikes with Russia ahead of time.

The senior official says Israel was monitoring last month’s sarin gas attack by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime “in real time.”

Referring to an incident last week, in which settlers attacked IDF troops in the West Bank, the officer laments the fact that those who attack Israeli soldiers are caught, they are released almost immediately.

“We arrest them constantly, and after a few hours they are let ago — instead of sitting in prison for months,” he says.

— Judah Ari Gross