Israel cuts off aid entry to Gaza to pressure Hamas to accept new proposal

TEL AVIV

Israel announced on Sunday that it was suspending the entry of supplies into Gaza, threatening "consequences" for Hamas if it did not accept a proposal for a temporary extension of the truce in the Palestinian territory.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that, from this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be suspended," his office said in a statement.

"Israel will not accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas persists with its refusal, there will be other consequences," the statement added.

Hamas slammed the move, calling it a "war crime" and saying it violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides, the first 42-day phase of which just drew to a close.

A proposed extension of the first phase, which according to Netanyahu's office was put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would last through Ramadan and end at Passover in mid-April.

According to the Israeli statement, the extension would see half of the hostages still in Gaza freed on the day the deal came into effect, with the rest to be released at the end if an agreement was reached on a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu's "decision to suspend humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant coup against the [ceasefire] agreement.”

The Palestinian group has consistently favored a transition to the second phase of the ceasefire.

Following the announcement from Netanyahu's office, his spokesman Omer Dostri wrote on X: "No trucks entered Gaza this morning, nor will they at this stage."

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose party is crucial to keeping Netanyahu's government in power, welcomed the decision to suspend aid.

Hamas called on "mediators and the international community to pressure" Israel to "put an end to these punitive, immoral measures against more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip.”

Amid fears of a possible resumption of the war, the Israeli government approved a bill allowing the military to call up an additional 400,000 reserve soldiers.

Under the new decision, the Israeli army will be able to mobilize up to 400,000 reserve soldiers by May 29, representing an increase of 80,000 soldiers compared to the previous order which approved a maximum mobilization of 320,000 reserve soldiers.

The government was advised to approve the decision, stating that 2025 is expected to be a war year similar to 2024 and that various regions are experiencing instability even with temporary ceasefires.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was using "emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance," noting that a partial arms embargo imposed under former president Joe Biden had been reversed.