Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that the country has imposed a blockade on all humanitarian aid to Gaza after the expiration of phase 1 of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas and as negotiations on phase 2 are still ongoing.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that goods and supplies will cease entering the Gaza Strip as of this morning,” Netanyahu’s office said, accusing Hamas of refusing to accept the outline for continued talks prepared by President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” the statement said. “If Hamas continues to refuse, there will be further consequences.”
An Israeli source told ABC News that “Israel’s decision to halt aid to Gaza was coordinated with the Trump administration.”
The White House said in a statement Sunday that it “supports” Israel’s decision to block aid to Gaza, saying Hamas has indicated that it is “no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire.”
“Israel has been negotiating in good faith since the beginning of this administration to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas terrorists. Given that Hamas has indicated that it is no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire, we support their decision on the next steps,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.
Wittkoff’s proposal was to temporarily extend the ceasefire during the Ramadan and Passover holidays, which end on April 20. Under the proposal, Hamas would release half of all remaining hostages killed on the first day and the rest when it agreed to a permanent ceasefire.
The Israeli statement came after weekend talks in Cairo, Egypt, on Phase 2 of the ceasefire. Hamas was not directly involved in the talks and was represented by Qatari and Egyptian officials who spoke with US and Israeli representatives.
“Netanyahu’s decision to halt humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail, a war crime and a clear conspiracy against the agreement,” Hamas said in a statement on Sunday.
“We reaffirm our commitment to implementing the signed agreement in its three stages and we have repeatedly stated our readiness to begin negotiations for the second stage of the agreement,” the group added, calling on the United States to “end its bias and alignment” with Israel.
“We call on the mediators to pressure the occupation to implement its obligations under the agreement, in all its stages, and to implement the humanitarian protocol and bring shelter and rescue equipment to the Gaza Strip,” Hamas added.
The statement said that the “only way” to secure the return of the Israeli hostages was to adhere to the ceasefire and “immediately enter into negotiations to begin the second stage.”
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem issued a statement on Sunday saying they would continue to talk to the mediators “to ensure the implementation of the remaining stages of the ceasefire agreement.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement on Sunday that their warplanes bombed Beit Hanoun, located in the north of the strip – an uninhabited area that has been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces during the war.
The IDF said it had carried out an airstrike targeting “several suspects” operating near IDF forces in the northern Gaza Strip, and that it had “detected an explosive device in the area.”
