Egypt Daily News – Israel announced that it has halted the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not clarify the decision but warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas does not accept what Israel says is a U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire. It was not immediately clear whether the delivery of aid had been completely halted.
Yesterday, Saturday, marked the end of the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which included an increase in humanitarian aid. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, under which Hamas was supposed to release the remaining detainees in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire.
The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, commented on the statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding his approval of U.S. proposals to extend the first phase of the agreement under arrangements that contradict the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Hamas described it as a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid negotiations for its second phase.
Hamas added that Netanyahu’s decision to halt humanitarian aid is a form of cheap extortion, a war crime, and a blatant violation of the agreement. It called on mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to stop its punitive and unethical measures against more than two million people in Gaza.
The statement continued: “The war criminal Netanyahu is trying to impose political realities on the ground after his fascist army failed to establish them over fifteen months of brutal genocide, thanks to the resilience and bravery of our people and resistance. He seeks to overturn the signed agreement for his narrow internal political interests, at the expense of Israeli prisoners in Gaza and their lives.”
Hamas rejected Israel’s claims that the movement violated the ceasefire agreement, calling them misleading and baseless. It accused Israel of daily and systematic violations of the agreement, resulting in the deaths of more than one hundred Palestinians in Gaza, as well as disrupting humanitarian protocols, preventing the entry of shelter and relief materials, and deepening the humanitarian disaster.
The movement emphasized that Netanyahu and his government are clearly violating Article 14 of the agreement, which states that all measures from the first phase must continue into the second phase, and that guarantors will make every effort to ensure negotiations continue until an agreement is reached on the implementation of the second phase.
Hamas urged the U.S. administration to stop its bias and alignment with Netanyahu’s fascist plans, which target the Palestinian people and their presence on their land. It stressed that all projects and schemes that bypass the Palestinian people, their rights, self-determination, and liberation from occupation are doomed to failure.
The movement reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the signed agreement in all three phases, stating: “We have repeatedly declared our readiness to begin negotiations for the second phase of the agreement.”
Hamas also called on mediators to pressure Israel to fulfill its commitments under the agreement in all its phases, implement the humanitarian protocol, and allow the entry of shelter and rescue equipment into Gaza.
It held Netanyahu and his extremist government fully responsible for obstructing the agreement or any reckless actions to overturn it, including humanitarian consequences related to Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
The statement concluded by stressing that the only way to retrieve the detainees is through adherence to the agreement, the immediate start of negotiations for the second phase, and Israel’s commitment to its obligations.
