JERUSALEM, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The government of Israel is staging "economic warfare" with power reductions and sanctions against Gaza militants, lawyers told the Supreme Court in Jerusalem.
Rights groups have challenged Israel's punitive measures against Gaza this month, claiming the actions violate international law, a Washington Post correspondent reported.
For more than four days this month, Israel halted shipments of food and fuel into the region controlled by the militant Hamas group, which Israel claims is behind daily rocket barrages.
"The minister of defense has wide discretion in regard to fighting, including waging economic warfare," the state attorney's officials said.
Sari Bashi, director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, one of the organizations challenging Israel, said because Gaza receives as much as 70 percent of its electricity from Israeli power lines, plans to reduce supply isn't just.
"Regardless of the effect of the cuts, the cuts are illegal ... because they are designed to punish civilians for the acts of militants," Bashi said.
The court didn't announce a schedule for its ruling, the Post said.
