Politics Israel stops imports into Gaza Strip after ceasefire ends
Israel has imposed a ban on imports into the Gaza Strip following the end of the first phase of a ceasefire with the Islamist Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that the head of government had decided this in view of Hamas' refusal to accept a US proposal to extend the first phase until next month.
02.03.2025, 09:24
SDA
"As of this morning, all imports of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be halted," the statement said. "Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages." There will also be "further consequences if Hamas persists in its refusal".
Hamas speaks of "unscrupulous blackmail"
Hamas then accused Netanyahu of violating the ceasefire agreement. The halt to humanitarian aid deliveries was "unscrupulous blackmail, a war crime and a serious breach of the agreement", the terrorist organization said in a Telegram message. The mediators - including the USA alongside Qatar and Egypt - and the international community must exert pressure on Israel to end its "repressive and immoral measures" against the people in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli hostages could only be released through the immediate start of negotiations on the second phase of the agreement.
Since the beginning of the ceasefire on January 19, more aid supplies have arrived in the blockaded coastal strip. An import ban could have dramatic consequences for the approximately two million inhabitants of Gaza, who are already living in precarious circumstances.
During the night, Israel said it had approved a proposal by US special envoy Steve Witkoff to continue the ceasefire until mid-April in return for the handover of potentially all remaining hostages. Hamas has so far rejected the plan, it said. Instead, the terrorist organization is demanding an immediate transition to the second phase of the three-stage ceasefire agreement. This provides for the release of the remaining hostages in return for a permanent end to the war. Israel, however, insists on the war goal of destroying Hamas.
