The Weapon of Hunger: Netanyahu Threatens Gaza with an Even Greater Humanitarian Catastrophe after Halting Aid
On Sunday, the Israeli government decided to halt all humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. This decision comes after Hamas refused to extend the truce under a proposal backed by the United States, according to a report by CNN.
The first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, which saw the release of dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees since mid-January, officially ended on Saturday night.
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Israeli Proposal
The Israeli government had expressed its willingness to extend this phase, which involved the exchange of live hostages and remains for the release of additional Palestinian detainees, while ensuring the continued flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Estimates suggest that 24 Israeli hostages are still alive in the enclave.
On the other hand, Hamas insisted on moving to the second phase of the agreement, accusing Israel of stalling and manipulating the situation by proposing an extension of the truce to cover both Ramadan and the Jewish Passover, as suggested by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Whitkoff.
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On Sunday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had ordered the complete suspension of goods and supplies entering Gaza as of this morning, following Hamas’s refusal to accept Whitkoff’s framework, which had been approved by Israel.
The Prime Minister’s Office emphasized that Israel would not agree to any ceasefire without the release of Israeli hostages and warned of further consequences should Hamas continue to reject the proposal.
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A Humanitarian Catastrophe
After nearly seventeen months of war, large parts of Gaza have been reduced to rubble, with more than 45,000 people killed, and living conditions in the enclave have become catastrophic for all residents.
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Omer Dostri stated that no aid trucks had entered Gaza this morning and would not do so at this stage, adding that the trucks en route to Gaza were reaching border crossings only to find them closed.
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Meanwhile, Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, described Israel’s decision to halt aid as a “dangerous escalation and a violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi emphasized in a statement that the only path to regional stability and the release of hostages lies in the full implementation of the agreement and a transition to the second phase. This phase includes negotiations for a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, reconstruction efforts, and the finalization of a prisoner exchange under a mutually agreed deal. He stressed that Hamas will not back down from this position.
Negotiation Stalemate
The original ceasefire agreement stipulated that the truce would remain in place as long as negotiations continued. However, it is now unclear whether talks are still ongoing.
On Friday, the Israeli delegation unexpectedly returned from Cairo just one day after arriving in the Egyptian capital. An Israeli source revealed that Israel had been trying to extend the first phase of the agreement as long as possible in hopes of securing the release of more hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack, which triggered Israel’s offensive on Gaza.
On Saturday, Hamas released a propaganda video showing Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. The footage included a scene of Iyair Horn, a freed hostage, bidding farewell to his brother Eitan, who has been in captivity for 512 days.
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