Israel on Sunday announced that he would prevent all humanitarian assets and aid from entering Gaza, a draconian move that interrupted the existing and agreed picture to negotiate a permanent end of the war.
The decision came one day after the end of the first phase of an agreement of ceased the fire between Israel and Hamas. Here’s what to know:
What did Israel say?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced the stop for the flow of humanitarian assistance and the goods hours after his government proposed a seven weeks of the temporary fire ceased, at the beginning of which he said that Hamas should have released half of the remaining hostages and remains of half the deceased.
Apparently the decision was part of an attempt to force Hamas to accept the proposal for ceased Israel’s fire.
Hamas led on October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel who killed about 1,200 people, caused the seizure of about 250 hostages and sparked the devastating war in Gaza. During the ceased the initial fire, 25 living Israeli hostages and the remains of eight dead were returned to Israel in exchange for about 1,500 prisoners and Palestinian prisoners. This agreement also allowed a significant increase in aid to Gaza.
Israel has attributed his proposal to extension to the work of the new American envoy to the Region, Steve Witkoff. It would replace the original agreement, negotiated by the United States, by Qatar and Egypt, which required the next phase to include a full withdrawal of the Israeli troops from Gaza and a commitment for a ceased the permanent fire in exchange for the release of all the hostages left to Gaza.
How did Hamas replied?
Hamas has released a Sunday declaration that describes the arrest to help as “cheap blackmail”. The group said that Israel’s decision was a “clear reversal of the agreement” and added that it was willing to start negotiations for the second phase of the agreement.
What is the impact of the announcement?
The arrest, which does not apply to water, according to two Israeli officials, will probably cause further difficulties to Palestinian civilians, many of whom are at the beginning of the sacred month of Ramadan. Fuel supplies are also interrupted, vital for bakeries.
In addition to stopping humanitarian aid, Israel’s decision is likely to swell the price of goods that have started to appear in the Gaza markets in greater quantities in recent weeks in the middle of the break in the fighting.
Abdulrahman Mohammed, 35 years old, father of four children of Gaza City, said that the announcement has already caused a peak of the prices of the essential goods.
During the 15 -month war, the bombings and Israeli fights shattered Gaza and, according to the Palestinian health authorities, killed over 45,000 people. The amount of help that arrives in Gaza has also decreased drastically compared to before the war.
The United Nations and the groups of aid have blamed the Israeli restrictions for that fall, while Israel pointed the finger in the aid groups. The result of the decrease was a serious malnutrition. Last year experts repeatedly warned a looming famine. According to the terms of the ceased, the fire occurred an increase in the amount in the enclave. This phase now seems over.
The move also puts the fate of the hostages left in Gaza in unexplored territory.