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Israel has banned all humanitarian aid to Gaza after militant Hamasi group rejected a revised proposal to extend the ceasefire that lost early Sunday and condemned the latest plan as “manipulation”.
The Gaza conflict has been detained for 42 days, after the two warring parties agreed on an initial ceasefire in January through the mediation of the US, Egyptian and Qatar.
Israel and Hamas have in recent days exchanged mutual insults over violations of the agreement, disagreing on a second -stage ceasefire that had to end the war and ensure the release of remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early on Sunday said Israel had agreed on a proposal drafted by US special envoys Steve Witkoff, who would have extended ceasefire for another six weeks, through the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and the Easter Jewish festival.
The proposal calls for Hamas to issue half of his remaining hostages, about 30 people, on the first day of the agreement after both parties begin talks on a “permanent ceasefire”, according to Netanyahu’s office. Hamas would then engage to release all the remaining hostages “at the end.. If an agreement is reached,” the Israeli side said.
It remains unclear whether Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s administration are after the Israeli proposal made public, though analysts believe such an Israeli statement and the disruption to Gaza is likely to have been coordinated with Washington.
Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas spokesman, immediately dismissed the proposal and said that Israel “constantly renews the agreements that signed and continues to avoid the implementation of his obligations”.
Mardawi reiterated the group’s position that the second phase of the ceasefire – to include a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent end of war and the reconstruction of the shredded territory – would have to agree before issuing additional hostages.
“This constant manipulation will not return (hostages) to their families, but will rather lead to their suffering and endanger their lives,” Mardawi added.
Israel in response stated that “all the entrances of the goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip will cease”, according to Netanyahu, who added: “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences.”
In a statement, Hamas described the decision as “free blackmail, a war crime and a fierce overthrow of the agreement” and called on international intermediaries to pressure Israel to return the movement.
During the course of the initial six-week ceasefire, Hamas issued 33 Israeli hostages, eight of whom were no longer alive, along with five foreign workers Thai. Israel, on the other hand, issued more than 1,500 Palestinian prisoners from his prisons and allowed 4,200 trucks to enter Gaza every week.
Israel had delayed the start of talks on the second phase of the ceasefire, which should have started four weeks ago, under the conditions of the original agreement signed in January. The last gap talks at the end of last week in Cairo failed to cross the gaps between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu on Sunday claimed that Israel would return to war if it was considered that “negotiations are ineffective”, adding that there were guarantees from the US administration for such action.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said he had authorized the accelerated $ 4BN distribution to Israel’s military aid, turning back on what he claimed was a “partial weapon embargo” by President Joe Biden’s previous US administration of high civil death numbers and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Additional reporting from Heba Saleh to Cairo and Steff Chavez in Washington
