The Israeli occupation has been ditching ceasefire deal in Gaza as it blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged strip on Sunday.
The occupation reneged on the truce after the first phase of the ceasefire deal ended without agreement on continuing into a second phase.
The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday it was imposing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas would not accept a plan which it claimed had been put forward by the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to extend phase one of the ceasefire, and postpone phase two, which envisaged an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
“With the end of phase one of the hostage deal, and in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff outline for continuing talks – to which Israel agreed – Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will cease. Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” it said in a statement. “If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences.”
Remember how many months Biden officials spent telling you Israel wasn’t deliberately blocking aid to Gaza? Yet, somehow, Israel can turn the switch on and off whenever they choose.
This is an open, public declaration of the intent to commit a war crime. pic.twitter.com/QyR0aRYY4S
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) March 2, 2025
“Cheap Blackmail”
Earlier, the Israeli occupation regime announced it would adopt a US-backed proposal for the extension of the ceasefire in Gaza throughout Ramadan and Passover, in exchange for the release of half of the remaining captives in the enclave.
The existence and details of a Witkoff plan had not been confirmed by Washington by Sunday morning.
Insisting to adhere to the agreement signed in January, Hamas responded with demands to implement phase two of the deal to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
A statement from Hamas called the suspension of aid a “war crime” and a violation of the ceasefire agreement. It said Netanyahu’s “decision to suspend humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant coup against the [ceasefire] agreement”.
“Israel Bears Responsibility for Captives’ Fate”
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said “bears responsibility” for the fate of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
“The occupation [Israel] bears responsibility for the consequences of its decision on the population of the Strip and for the fate of its prisoners,” Qassem said in a statement.
⚡️ Hamas official Hazem Qassem regarding ceasefire:
•The remaining Israeli prisoners held by the resistance in Gaza will only be released through a prisoner exchange deal resulting from negotiations in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
•There is an agreement… pic.twitter.com/m4GBUOUYd3
— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) March 2, 2025
Meanwhile on Sunday, at least four people were martyredby Israeli attacks. Palestinian sources said two of the martyred were killed in the northern city of Beit Hanoon, a woman was martyred in Khan Younis in the south and a man was martyred in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian was killed and another was injured in an Israeli air strike in Beit Hanoun north of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/5DJqYwAfXX
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) March 2, 2025
Source: Agencies
