Israel’s decision to cut off humanitarian aid to Gaza for the first time in more than a year signals a renewed zero-tolerance attitude toward Hamas after the group rejected a U.S.-led proposal to extend a ceasefire.
The assistance was halted as the first stage of the truce officially expired early Sunday, though fighting hasn’t resumed.
“If Hamas thinks the ceasefire can continue without our hostages being released, they are very wrong,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday. “There will be no free lunches.”
Israel is unlikely to relent unless Hamas makes concessions, given the firm support for its approach by the U.S. and Netanyahu’s hawkish coalition partners.
The proposal, which the Israeli prime minister said was made by President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would prolong the ceasefire through mid-April. It would include the phased freeing of all remaining 59 Hamas-held hostages, with a second-batch release pending agreements on a permanent end to the war. As many as 24 of them are thought to be alive, Netanyahu said.
The U.S. hasn’t officially confirmed it’s behind the plan or commented directly on the proposal. Witkoff is due to visit the region later this week, according to local media and an Israeli official.
Israel hasn’t made clear how long it will hold off resuming military attacks during the current impasse, though Netanyahu said “if Hamas continues to entrench itself in its position, there will be further consequences” — a hint at renewing strikes.
Netanyahu said that per the original agreement, Israel can return to fighting after 42 days, meaning Sunday, “yet, we agreed to Witkoff’s proposal because we are committed to freeing our hostages,” he said.
Thousands of Hamas operatives crossed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250. In the ensuing war with Israel, more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Vast stretches of the territory have been destroyed and most of the more than 2 million population are displaced.
The Israeli move drew sharp responses from Egypt and Qatar, both of which are mediating efforts aimed at extending the ceasefire. Aid shouldn’t be withheld “as a weapon,” they said in separate statements.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry echoed the sentiments, saying the move wields aid as a “blackmailing and collective punishment tool.”
The Palestinian Authority, which runs parts of the West Bank, said “it unequivocally rejects the politicization of humanitarian aid” and called upon the international community to take decisive action against the Israeli decision.
Shortly after news on Israel’s decision to withhold aid circulated in Gaza, food prices soared as the Muslim population began observing the holy month of Ramadan, when food shopping is an important ritual. Throughout the month, Muslims fast during the day, and resume eating in large gatherings at sunset.
“The deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid from the civilian population as a means to resolve a dispute over ceasefire conditions is unlawful and constitutes collective punishment,” Sari Bashi, program director at Human Rights Watch, said in a phone interview.
Israel says 4,200 trucks of aid went into Gaza during each of the six weeks of the ceasefire.
“We brought in so much that there is no lack of any of it inside Gaza,” said Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser. “It will take half a year before they feel the lack.”
Bashi pushed back, saying “there’s still shortage of housing materials and caravans as well as food and medicines, putting lives at risk.”
Water and electricity are still being supplied from Israel to Gaza via three pipes and a power line. The latter is designated to solely facilitate Gaza’s desalination plant.
Israeli hardliners
Israel accuses Hamas, an Islamist group that’s designated a terrorist organization in the U.S. and many other countries, of taking over the incoming aid. Netanyahu claimed Sunday the Iran-backed group is abusing people trying to get aid, shooting them and turning the assistance into a source of profit, which Israel “will not accept.”
“If the choice is between going back to a full-scale military operation or scrapping supplies, the latter may be considered the least bad option, when weighing potential damage to civilians,” said Dr. Ronit Levine-Schnur, a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law.
“A siege is unacceptable under international law if aimed at starvation, however, because Hamas is embedded among civilians, a full-scale military attack could yield worse consequences to civilians.”
Hardliners in Netanyahu’s coalition, who’ve been advocating for a return to war, welcomed the latest decision.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who threatened to quit the government if Israel doesn’t resume fighting, said cutting off humanitarian aid was “an important step in the right direction.” A walkout by Smotrich could bring down the ruling administration.
Reactions among families of the hostages were mixed.
Zvika Mor, whose son Eitan was kidnapped from the Nova music festival and is presumed alive, said he supports the government’s decision. “The more helpless and hesitant Israel appears, the greater the risk to our loved ones,” he said in a radio interview.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was also abducted in the Oct. 7 attacks and has so far survived captivity, said, “Netanyahu is sacrificing the release of hostages on the altar of his political survival rather than upholding the agreement.”
