The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Jerusalem

Israel's attorney general has temporarily halted the government's plan to cut back on electricity to the Gaza Strip, demanding more work to prevent humanitarian harm.

Attorney General Meni Mazuz's decision Monday came after 10 human rights groups petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to stop the cutbacks, charging they are collective punishment.

On Sunday, Israel reduced fuel supplies to Gaza, but government officials said the planned electricity cuts would have to await the outcome of the court case. Last month, the Israeli government declared Gaza a "hostile entity" and approved the plan for cutoffs in an effort to halt the daily rocket barrages into southern Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave the final go-ahead for the sanctions last week.

The Justice Ministry said in a statement late Monday that Mazuz determined that "in the case of electricity cutoff, more staff work needs to be done by the defense establishment to determine the possibility of implementing this measure to comply with the government decision in the matter, which qualified these measures over humanitarian harm to the civilian population."