Israel said Sunday it has stopped the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to a US-backed extension of the ceasefire deal, after phase one of the deal expired on Saturday.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he backed a US proposal to temporarily extend the current ceasefire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday Passover, which envisions half the hostages held in Gaza being released on the day the deal begins.
Hamas, which is seeking Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, immediately rejected the plan, saying that Netanyahu and his government was carrying out “a blatant coup against the ceasefire deal” that had already been agreed.
Israel moved swiftly when Hamas rejected the proposal, escalating a stand-off over a truce that brought an end to months of fighting in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that “in light of Hamas’ refusal to accept the [US envoy Steve] Witkoff framework for continuing the talks — which Israel had agreed to — Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be stopped.”
Israel’s PMO warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas continues to refuse to accept the proposal. Israel would not allow a ceasefire without the release of the remaining hostages, the statement added.
Hamas said Israel’s decision to halt humanitarian aid into Gaza amounts to “cheap blackmail” and a “war crime,” and appealed to mediators to pressure Israel into ending its “punitive and immoral measures.”
There has been no word from Witkoff himself or the Trump Administration on the revised plan, nor on Israel’s assertion that suspending aid for Gaza was agreed with Washington. It is also unclear whether the other mediators on the ceasefire-hostage agreement – Qatar and Egypt – are aware of the revised plan.
The first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, under which dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been freed since mid-January, reached its expiration date on Saturday.
The Israelis want phase one to continue – the exchange of hostages, alive and deceased, in return for the continued release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and the flow of higher volumes of aid into Gaza. There are thought to be 24 Israeli hostages still alive in Gaza.
Hamas is seeking negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza under the second stage of the truce, accusing Israel of “ongoing manipulation” with its proposed extension of phase one.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel was prepared to continue negotiations “including for the second phase” in exchange for the release of hostages, but stipulated there was “no automatic transition between phases” under the initial agreement.
“As the first phase of the framework has ended – we have halted the entry of trucks into Gaza. We wouldn’t do it for free,” Saar said at a news conference on Sunday.
Aid vital for Gaza
Nearly 17 months of war in Gaza have reduced much of the enclave to rubble, killed more than 45,000 people, and led to dire living conditions for almost all of its residents.
The enclave almost exclusively relies on humanitarian aid, with aid agencies warning last month that the humanitarian needs of those in Gaza remain huge, despite the promise of a huge influx of aid under phase one of the deal. Reports from Gaza Sunday indicated a sharp spike in the price of some goods.
Adding to the sense that the truce is in jeopardy, four people were killed by Israeli military operations in in Gaza on Sunday, the health ministry said.
The Israeli military has continued to operate inside Gaza since the ceasefire began on January 19, but there has been a marked decline in casualties.
The original ceasefire agreement stipulates that the truce can continue so long as negotiators are talking.
An Israeli delegation abruptly returned from Cairo on Friday, a day after arriving in the Egyptian capital. An Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN earlier in the week that Israel was trying to prolong the first phase of the agreement “by as much as possible” in the hope of releasing more hostages. Most of the hostages were taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel of October 7, 2023, which sparked the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
In an apparent attempt to add to the pressure on Israel, Hamas on Saturday released a propaganda video on Saturday showing Israeli hostages in Gaza, including a scene of recently freed captive Iair Horn bidding farewell to his brother Eitan, who remains in captivity after 512 days.
Iair and Eitan’s family authorized media use of the video, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, saying in a statement: “We demand from the decision-makers: Look Eitan in the eyes. Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us. They are running out of time! Bring everyone home, now, in one phase,” it said.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office condemned the video as cruel “psychological warfare.”
The ceasefire came into effect in January. Altogether 33 Israeli hostages were released – including two men held in Gaza for a decade – as well as five Thai citizens who had been working on a kibbutz in southern Israel when they were taken hostage. Eight bodies were returned. They included the remains of Shiri Bibas and her two small sons – a hugely emotional moment for Israelis.
A total of 1,737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released, including 120 women and children. About 1,000 of those released had been arrested after the October 7 attacks; others were serving long sentences, including life. Some had been in Israeli prisons for decades.
