Israel says it is stopping the entry of all aid and supplies into the Gaza Strip

Tel Aviv/Cairo: Israel stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday and warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas does not accept a new proposal for an extension of the first phase of a fragile ceasefire.

Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the truce and said its decision to cut off aid was “cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack on the [ceasefire] agreement”. Both sides stopped short of saying the ceasefire had ended.

The first phase of the ceasefire, which included a surge in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas was to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a lasting ceasefire.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the decision to suspend aid was made in co-ordination with the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier on Sunday that it supported what it described as a proposal from Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, which end on April 20.

Under that proposal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the rest if an agreement were reached on a permanent ceasefire, according to Netanyahu’s office.

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There was no immediate comment from the United States, Egypt or Qatar, which have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for over a year.

Under the first, six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces pulled back from most of Gaza and Israel allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter.