Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024. (MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
FOX NEWS | Published March 2, 2025
‘Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages,’ Netanyahu’s office said
Israeli officials announced Sunday that they are stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas it would face “additional consequences” if it does not accept a new proposal for an extended ceasefire.
With the conclusion of the 1st stage of the hostages deal and in light of Hamas’ refusal to accept the [U.S. Mideast envoy Steve] Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel agreed, PM Netanyahu decided: as of this morning, entry of all goods & supplies to the Gaza Strip be halted,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on X.
“Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences,” the post added.
Hamas accused Israel of attempting to derail the fragile truce, saying its decision to cut off aid was “cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack on the (ceasefire) agreement.”
“The occupation’s announcement of halting the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip is yet another confirmation of its failure to uphold its commitments and its evasion of obligations under the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas said in a statement. “This reflects its ugly criminal face and constitutes a continuation of the genocide against our people, as well as an act of blackmail targeting an entire population by depriving them of food, water, and medicine.”
The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which included an uptick in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have not yet negotiated the second phase, in which Hamas was called to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a permanent ceasefire.
An Israeli official said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration.
Israeli officials said earlier on Sunday that they support a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20. They said the proposal came from the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)
Under that deal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the remainder when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, according to Netanyahu’s office.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli also pulled back forces from most of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter the region.
But the first phase also featured various disputes, as each side accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
Hamas now says Israel committed another violation by suspending aid. The terror group said deliveries were supposed to continue as the two sides negotiated the second phase of the ceasefire.
The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and abducting more than 251. Hamas still has 59 hostages, 32 of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive into Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry. It does not specify how many of the dead were terrorists or civilians.
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SOURCE: www.foxnews.com
RELATED: Hamas rejects Israel’s ‘formulation’ to extend phase one of Gaza ceasefire
Uncertainty in Gaza as Palestinian group says no ongoing talks for second phase of truce even as first phase expires on Saturday.
A man strings up Ramadan flags in Gaza City as the first phase of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire expires on March 1, 2025 [Omar al-Qattaa/AFP]
AL JAZEERA | Published March 2, 2025
As the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza draws to a close, negotiations on the next stage, aimed at securing a permanent truce, have so far been inconclusive.
Hamas on Saturday rejected Israel’s “formulation” of extending the first phase of the ceasefire instead of proceeding to the second phase as originally planned, calling it unacceptable.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Al Araby TV that no talks were being held for a second ceasefire phase even as the first phase is due to expire on Saturday.
Qassem said Israel bears the responsibility for not starting second phase negotiations, accusing it of wanting to recover the remaining captives from Gaza while retaining the possibility of resuming the war.
His comments come a day after Hamas urged Israel to move onto the second phase and confirmed its “full commitment to implementing all the terms of the agreement in all its stages and details”.
Workers clean rubbish from a road in Gaza City in the central Gaza Strip [Omar al-Qattaa/AFP]
Officials from Israel joined mediators from Qatar and the United States in Cairo on Thursday for “intensive discussions”, Egypt’s state information service said on Friday. However, those negotiations apparently bore no fruit.
Talks over the second phase of the ceasefire are meant to negotiate a comprehensive end to the fighting in Gaza, including the return of all remaining captives and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
According to Israel, there are 59 captives remaining in Gaza, 24 of whom are still believed to be alive.
On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters: “We said we are ready to extend the framework [of phase one] in return for the release of more hostages. If it is possible, we’ll do that.”
‘No going back’
Sami al-Arian, a professor at Istanbul Zaim University, said it was not clear what will happen next.
“The American envoy Steve Witkoff has indicated he wants to explore the idea of extending phase one, which is the Israeli position,” he told Al Jazeera. “So that’s bad news for any negotiations because Hamas won’t agree to this.”
Meanwhile, humanitarian organisations have repeatedly said the ceasefire must continue if they are to provide much-needed aid to Palestinians in the coastal enclave, which has been devastated during 15 months of war.
“The impact of safe and sustained humanitarian access is evident,” the World Food Programme said in a post on X. “The ceasefire must hold. There can be no going back.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said the coming days are “critical” for the talks on the second phase of the ceasefire.
“The ceasefire and hostage release deal must hold. The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
Fear of fighting resuming
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Gaza, said there may be “a surge” in military activity “as there’s no obligations any more to sustain the ceasefire”.
“That’s been left up in the air as the mediators try to contain this crisis and prevent a return to fighting that will bring nothing but further devastation to the people of Gaza,” he added.
While the ceasefire has held since it began on January 19, Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) has reported more than 350 violations by Israel, including military incursions, gunfire, air strikes, intensified surveillance and the obstruction of aid since the ceasefire began.
According to the GMO, the Israeli army has killed and injured dozens of Palestinians through air strikes as well as shootings since the ceasefire came into effect.
The GMO has previously reported delays in allowing displaced families to return to areas in northern Gaza as well as shortfalls in the agreed levels of aid allowed into the enclave.
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SOURCE: www.aljazeera.com
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