On Sunday, Israel said is has stopped the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to an extension of the ceasefire deal — coming after phase one of the deal expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas was to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office warned of “further consequences” after it stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday. A statement read: “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences.”
Netanyahu said he backed a US proposal to temporarily extend the current ceasefire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday Passover, which envisions half the hostages held in Gaza being released on the day the deal begins. Hamas immediately rejected the plan, saying that Netanyahu and his government was carrying out “a blatant coup against the ceasefire deal” that had already been agreed.
Hamas has said it is willing to free the hostages all at once in Phase 2, but only in return for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Meanwhile, an Egyptian official said Hamas and Egypt would not accept a new proposal aimed at returning the remaining hostages without ending the war.
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