Israel halts all aid entering Gaza as 1st phase of ceasefire deal expires
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office claimed that the aid was stopped over Palestinian group Hamas’ refusal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Channel 14 said the decision to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza was coordinated with the US.
The government media office in Gaza issued a warning, calling Israel's decision to halt humanitarian aid "genocide by starvation."
It issued a statement saying, "Blocking aid means imposing starvation on Gaza's population, who rely entirely on humanitarian assistance for their survival."
The media office called on mediators to pressure Israel “to fulfil its obligations” under the ceasefire agreement.
At midnight on Saturday, the ceasefire agreement's initial six-week period, which began on January 19, came to an official end. Israel has not, however, consented to proceed with the second stage of the agreement to end the war in Gaza.
Without making any concessions or meeting the agreement's military and humanitarian requirements, Netanyahu had aimed to prolong the first exchange phase in order to secure the release of as many Israeli prisoners as possible.
Hamas has refused to proceed under these conditions, insisting that Israel abide by the terms of the ceasefire and immediately start negotiations for the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the war.
After the first phase of the ceasefire ended, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff proposed a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Muslim month of Ramadan, which Israel announced earlier on Sunday it had accepted.
Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defence agency reported today (Sunday) Israeli artillery shelling and tank fire near the southern city of Khan Younis.
"Artillery shelling and gunfire from Israeli tanks targeted the border areas of Abasan al-Kabira town, east of Khan Younis city, in the southern Gaza Strip," the agency said in a statement.