Israel blocked aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday, escalating a standoff over the ceasefire as Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal to extend the first phase of the truce rather than move forward with negotiations for a permanent end to the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced it had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal for a temporary truce until after Ramadan (March 31) and Passover (April 20). However, Hamas rejected the plan, insisting that Israel must honor the original agreement and move to the next phase of negotiations.
"We call on mediators to pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations under the agreement," Hamas said, calling the aid blockade "blackmail."
Israel demands that all remaining hostages be released before agreeing to a permanent truce. Hamas, which has already released 33 hostages in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, insists the next phase of the ceasefire must begin before further exchanges take place.
The Israeli military reported that four Palestinians were killed on Sunday, alleging they were involved in hostile activity.
After blocking aid into Gaza, Israel announced it was sending a delegation to Cairo to discuss ways to defuse tensions.
"Palestinians will not get goods for free," said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, linking any further relief to hostage releases.
The United States has signaled support for Israel’s decision to halt aid, blaming Hamas for the deadlock.
Israel insists Hamas must be eliminated, rejecting any role for the group in Gaza’s postwar governance. Hamas, while open to stepping aside, demands to be consulted on any future administration.
Meanwhile, Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza’s population and redevelop the area under U.S. control has been widely rejected by Arab nations.
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Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has cleared the criminal record of former soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian in the West Bank in 2016.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
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The death toll in a suicide attack at a police compound in northwest Pakistan has reached 31, AFP reported on Saturday, citing a police official.
Azerbaijan has rejected France’s justification for advising its citizens against travel to the country, after Paris cited risks of arbitrary detention and unfair trials.
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