Israel announced on Sunday morning that it was halting the entry of all goods and humanitarian assistance into Gaza immediately, hours after proposing a temporary extension of the now-expired cease-fire with Hamas.
The drastic step to block aid appeared to be aimed at pressuring Hamas into accepting the new framework — and to make the Israeli government’s negotiating position clear.
Under Israel’s proposal for an extension, which it attributed to the U.S. envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, half of the remaining hostages held in Gaza would be released to Israel on the first day of the agreement. If, at the end of the temporary extension — stretching until the end of Passover on April 20 — a permanent truce had been reached, the rest of the hostages would then be returned.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he had decided that, “as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will cease” because of “Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff outline for continuing talks, to which Israel agreed.”
The statement added: “Israel will not allow a cease-fire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences.”
Hamas immediately rejected the move, describing it in a statement as “cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant upending of the agreement.”
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