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On Sunday, Israel enacted a complete halt to the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip while warning of “additional consequences” if Hamas does not agree to a new proposal aimed at extending an already tenuous ceasefire.
In response, Hamas accused Israel of attempting to undermine the current ceasefire agreement, labeling the aid cut-off as “cheap extortion, a war crime, and a blatant attack” on the truce that had been reached in January following lengthy negotiations. While both parties refrained from declaring the ceasefire terminated, the current situation remains volatile.
The initial phase of the ceasefire, which notably increased humanitarian aid, expired on Saturday. Negotiations regarding the second phase, which would involve the release of dozens of hostages by Hamas in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal and a more enduring ceasefire, have yet to commence.
Egypt, a crucial mediator in the conflict, condemned Israel’s actions, accusing it of employing “starvation as a weapon.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has called for immediate action to implement Phase 2 of the existing ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu articulated that current agreements allow Israel to resume hostilities if negotiations appear unsuccessful. He emphasized that the ceasefire’s continuation is contingent on Hamas’s compliance with releasing hostages, stating, “there will be no free lunches.” Netanyahu noted that Israel was in close coordination with the U.S. administration regarding these matters.
There was no immediate response from the United States regarding Israel’s proposal or the aid suspension. Since the ceasefire began on January 19, Gaza has seen a daily influx of aid trucks; however, as news of the closure spread on Sunday, residents reported a surge in prices as they hurried to purchase essentials.
Sayed al-Dairi, a resident of Gaza City, expressed his concerns: “Everyone is worried. This is not a life.”
Fayza Nassar, residing in the severely impacted Jabaliya refugee camp, warned that the closure would worsen already dire living circumstances, stating, “There will be famine and chaos. Closing the crossings is a heinous crime.”
Israel claims U.S. support for new proposal
Israel announced that a new proposal, reportedly from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, suggests extending the ceasefire throughout Ramadan, which began over the weekend, and the Jewish Passover holiday that ends April 20. Netanyahu disclosed that under this proposal, Hamas would release half of the hostages immediately and the remainder upon reaching an agreement for a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas responded by warning that any delay or cancellation of the ceasefire would result in “humanitarian consequences” for the hostages, reiterating that the fulfillment of the existing agreement is essential for their release. While Hamas has expressed willingness to release all hostages at once during Phase 2, it insists that this be in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, an enduring ceasefire, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
An anonymous Egyptian official stated that Hamas and Egypt would not entertain a new proposal aimed solely at securing the release of the remaining hostages without addressing the broader conflict. They emphasized that the original agreement called for negotiations to begin on Phase 2 in early February.
Ceasefire mired in disputes
The first phase of the ceasefire lasted six weeks, during which Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages as well as the remains of eight others, while Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The situation allowed some level of humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, and Israeli forces withdrew from much of the territory. However, the ceasefire was mired in ongoing disagreements, with each side accusing the other of breaches.
Israeli airstrikes have claimed the lives of numerous Palestinians, whom the military alleged approached its forces or entered restricted areas in violation of the ceasefire. Notably, an airstrike on Sunday reportedly killed two individuals accused of planting an explosive device near the northern Gaza border, while the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported that Israeli fire claimed two additional lives elsewhere.
Hamas displayed the hostages in what has been described as degrading public spectacles, drawing criticism from Israel and the United Nations. During hostage exchanges, Hamas mistakenly returned the wrong remains, further souring relations.
Hamas condemned Israel’s suspension of aid, arguing that both the ceasefire and the aid deliveries were to continue amidst discussions on Phase 2.
Severing aid throughout the conflict
From the onset of the conflict, Israel implemented a strict siege on Gaza, only easing restrictions under pressure from the U.S. Reports from U.N. agencies and aid groups indicated that Israel fell short in facilitating adequate aid delivery throughout the 15-month conflict, prompting repeated calls from the Biden administration for it to do more. Experts consistently warned of widespread hunger in Gaza, raising fears of famine.
The International Criminal Court previously expressed sufficient grounds to suspect that Israel employed “starvation as a method of warfare,” leading to an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last year. This allegation plays a critical role in South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of genocide.
Israel has denied these allegations and dismissed both legal actions as biased, defending its record on aid by asserting that it has allowed sufficient supplies to enter Gaza and blaming shortages on inefficiencies within U.N. distribution efforts as well as Hamas’s alleged diversion of aid.
Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch and currently a visiting professor at Princeton University, argued that as the occupying force, Israel has an “absolute duty” to facilitate humanitarian aid as per the Geneva Conventions. He described Israel’s recent threats to cut off aid as a continuation of a war-crime strategy linked to starvation.
The hostilities erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants breached southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, predominantly among civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals. Currently, 59 hostages remain captive, with 35 presumed deceased after most were released during earlier ceasefire agreements.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, Israel’s military response has claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives, with more than half of those fatalities being women and children, although it remains unclear how many were combatants. Israeli military operations and bombardments have devastated vast areas of the Gaza Strip, displacing up to 90% of the territory’s 2.3 million residents, leaving a majority reliant on international aid for basic needs.
–Reported from Cairo. Contributions from Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington.
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