London – On Sunday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country has imposed a blockade on all humanitarian aid before the Gaza Strip, after the expiration of phase 1 of the cease-fire agreement of Israel with Hamas and negotiations concerning phase 2 still in progress.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that this morning, all goods and supplies in the Gaza Strip would stop,” said Netanyahu’s office, accusing Hamas to refuse to accept the plan for continuous discussions exposed by the Middle East of President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff.
“Israel will not allow a cease-fire without the release of our hostages,” the statement said. “If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be other consequences.”
Hamas, on the other hand, said in a statement that “Netanyahu’s decision to stop humanitarian aid is a cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant coup against the agreement”.
People stand on trucks loaded with humanitarian aid in Rafah in the Southern Gaza Strip after entering the passage of Kerem Shalom on February 18, 2025.
EYAD BABA / AFP via gettty imagesages
“We reaffirm our commitment to implement the agreement signed in its three stages and we have repeatedly announced our desire to start negotiations for the second stage of the agreement,” added the group, calling on the United States “to stop its bias and its alignment” with Israel.
It is a story in development. Please check the updates.
Jordana Miller from ABC News and Nasser Atta contributed to this report.
