Israel said Sunday it has stopped the entry of all aid into Gaza, amid an escalating standoff over the future of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. The first phase of the ceasefire, which halted fighting for six weeks and brought several exchanges of Israeli hostages for detained Palestinians, expired Saturday, and Israel and Hamas have not agreed on a second phase.
In a statement overnight, Israel said that it would adopt a U.S.-proposed “temporary ceasefire” spanning the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, but that Hamas has refused to do so. Ramadan began Friday, and Passover takes place from April 12 to April 20 this year.
It was not immediately clear how long Israel would block aid into Gaza, and any halt in aid supplies to the enclave would drastically worsen already dire conditions. Hamas called on mediators Sunday to urge Israel to resume the supply of aid, describing the Israeli move as “cheap blackmail” and a “coup” on the ceasefire agreement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office warned that “if Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences.”
Under the framework of the “temporary ceasefire,” Netanyahu’s office said, half of the remaining living and deceased hostages would be released on the first day. “At the end of the framework if an agreement on a permanent ceasefire is reached — the remaining living and deceased hostages will be released,” the statement said, adding that it was proposed by Washington’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
Israel and Trump administration officials have openly suggested in recent days that the first phase of the ceasefire be extended. Hamas has rejected that, saying it wants to enter the second phase in line with how the truce was originally negotiated, which would result in the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the remaining Israeli hostages would be released only through a deal resulting from negotiations in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. “By insisting on extending the first phase,” it said, Israel “is attempting to reset the process to zero and secure its captives without committing to an end to hostilities.”
Out of the 251 people taken in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, 145 have been freed or rescued. Of the remaining, 27 are believed to be alive, but Israel has not given the full basis of its estimates; 79 hostages have been confirmed killed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is expediting the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. “The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to fulfill America’s long-standing commitment to Israel’s security, including means to counter security threats,” he said in a statement Saturday.
