Israel Halts Humanitarian Aid To Gaza Amid Ceasefire Dispute
The Israeli government has blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza following the expiration of the first phase of its ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, in a statement on Sunday, announced that Israel has halted the flow of goods and supply to the region after Hamas rejected a proposal by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the ceasefire which ended on March 1.
“With the end of Phase 1 of the hostage deal, and in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff outline for continuing talks—to which Israel agreed—Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will cease,” the statement said.
“Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences,” the statement read.
The Hamas spokesman condemned the move as “cheap blackmail” and urged international mediators to pressure Israel into restoring aid.
“Netanyahu’s decision to stop aid going into Gaza once again shows the ugly face of the Israeli occupation… The international community must apply pressure on the Israeli government to stop starving our people,” the group said in a statement.
On Saturday night, Netanyahu’s office said Israel had agreed to the US proposal for the ceasefire to continue for about six weeks during the Muslim Ramadan and Jewish Passover periods, within which a new phase of ceasefire would be agreed.
According to them, if the negotiations fail to yield a meaningful result, Israel would reserve the right to go back to war.
Hamas, on its part, stated that it would not agree to any extension of the ceasefire without guarantees from U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators that the second phase of the agreement would be honored.
The initial ceasefire, which began on January 19, halted 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas. During this period, Hamas released 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
However, discussions on the second phase of the agreement, which involves the release of all remaining living hostages, have made little progress.
The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
In response, Israel launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza, which the Palestinian health ministry said has killed over 46,000 people.
Israel Halts Humanitarian Aid To Gaza Amid Ceasefire Dispute is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
