Israel on Sunday announced that it was suspending the entry of supplies into Gaza and threatened “consequences” for Hamas if it did not accept a proposal for a temporary extension of the truce in the Palestinian territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that, from Sunday, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be suspended.
Hamas slammed the action, calling it a war crime and saying it violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides, the first 42-day phase of which just drew to a close.
A proposed extension of the first phase, which according to Netanyahu’s office was put forward by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would last through Ramadan and end at Passover in mid-April.
According to the Israeli authorities, the extension would see half of the hostages still in Gaza freed on the day the deal came into effect, with the rest to be released at the end if an agreement was reached on a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas said Sunday that Netanyahu’s decision to suspend humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail and a blatant coup against the ceasefire agreement.
The Palestinian group has consistently favored a transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, which would see the release of all remaining hostages and a more permanent end to the fighting in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
