Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said earlier that it had adopted a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for the Ramadan and Passover periods, hours after the first phase of the previously agreed ceasefire expired.
If agreed, the truce would halt fighting until the end of the Ramadan fasting period around March 31 and the Jewish Passover holiday around April 20.
The truce would be conditional on Hamas releasing half of the living and dead hostages on the first day, with the remainder released at the conclusion, if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas says it is committed to the originally agreed ceasefire that had been scheduled to move into a second phase, with negotiations aimed at a permanent end to the war, and it has rejected the idea of a temporary extension to the 42-day truce.
Egyptian sources said on Friday that the Israeli delegation in Cairo had sought to extend the first phase by 42 days, while Hamas wanted to move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal. Spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Saturday that the group rejected Israel's "formulation" of extending the first phase.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas handed over 33 Israeli hostages as well as five Thais returned in an unscheduled release, in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli jails and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from some of their positions in Gaza.
Under the original agreement, the second phase was intended to see the start of negotiations over the release of the remaining 59 hostages, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and a final end to the war.
However the talks never began and Israel says all its hostages must be returned for fighting to stop.
"Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages," Netanyahu's office said, announcing that the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip would be halted.
"If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences."
Hamas has denounced Israel's move as "blackmail" and a "blatant coup against the agreement".
"We call on mediators to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations under the agreement, in all its phases," it said, adding that the only way to get the hostages back would be to adhere to the agreement and start talks for the second phase.
Commenting on the goods suspension, Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the decision would impact the ceasefire talks, adding his group "doesn't respond to pressures."
French senators on Monday approved a revised 2026 budget bill that the government warned could worsen the country’s fiscal deficit, setting the stag...
Flooding in Bolivia’s eastern Santa Cruz region has killed at least 20 people after an overflowing river swept through multiple communities, authori...
Shadow Trade is an investigative documentary by AnewZ that examines how global sanctions imposed after Russia’s 2022 war in Ukraine have been weaken...
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed a new agreement on the transportation of natural gas through Uzbek territory, strengthening bilateral energy coo...
Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home in an apparent homicide, with police arresting their son, Nick Rei...
World leaders have expressed condolences and solidarity after 15 people were killed in a mass shooting during Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday (14 December).
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Australia’s policies had encouraged antisemitism after a shooting at a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed at least 11 people.
The Israeli military said Raed Saed, described as one of the architects of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, was killed on Saturday when a vehicle was hit in Gaza City.
Hundreds of people gathered for a second consecutive week at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, on Friday (12 December), to support the family of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli hostage whose body is believed to be held in Gaza.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
French senators on Monday approved a revised 2026 budget bill that the government warned could worsen the country’s fiscal deficit, setting the stage for tense negotiations between parliament’s two chambers later this week.
Flooding in Bolivia’s eastern Santa Cruz region has killed at least 20 people after an overflowing river swept through multiple communities, authorities said on Monday, with the toll expected to increase as rescue teams reach areas that were previously inaccessible.
Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home in an apparent homicide, with police arresting their son, Nick Reiner, who is being held on a $4 million bond.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held two rounds of high-stakes talks in Berlin, Germany on 14-15 December. Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, posted on X that discussions with the U.S. envoy have been "constructive and productive".
Thailand’s military has halted fuel shipments through a key border checkpoint with Laos, citing intelligence that supplies were being diverted to Cambodian forces amid escalating clashes along the disputed frontier.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment