West Jerusalem has accused Hamas of rejecting a ceasefire extension
Israel has halted all humanitarian aid to Gaza, citing a refusal by the militant group Hamas to extend phase one of an internationally brokered ceasefire deal that expired on Saturday.
The Israeli prime minister’s office made the announcement in a post on X on Sunday.
“With the conclusion of the 1st stage of the hostages deal and in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel agreed, PM Netanyahu decided: as of this morning, entry of all goods & supplies to the Gaza Strip be halted,” the statement read.
According to the public broadcaster Kan, Israel believes that enough aid has entered the enclave in recent weeks to sustain Hamas for months. According to the Witkoff framework, a proposal by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, the truce should be prolonged during the Ramadan and Passover holiday period through April.
Hamas rejected the plan on Saturday, urging Israel to move forward with the second phase instead. Brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, the ceasefire deal is supposed to encompass three phases, each lasting 42 days.
The first phase included a truce and a prisoner exchange. The second phase is intended to create a long-term cessation of hostilities, the release of all remaining captives, and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The third phase should focus on Gaza’s reconstruction under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Qatar-based Al Araby TV on Saturday that no talks were underway regarding the second phase of the agreement. Israel is reluctant to proceed to the next stage because it wants to secure the return of the remaining hostages while keeping the option of resuming hostilities open, Qassem claimed.
On Sunday, Hamas described Netanyahu’s decision to halt humanitarian aid into Gaza as “cheap blackmail” and a “coup” against the ceasefire deal. The militant group also previously accused Israel of truce violations.
In the first phase of the agreement, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages, including the bodies of those deceased, in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza, with Israeli assessments indicating that at least 35 of them are dead.
“Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu’s office stated on Sunday, threatening “further consequences” if Hamas continues to say no to the proposal.
The hostages were abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people. In the past 16 months, nearly 47,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to the enclave’s health authorities.
