Israel blocks aid into Gaza as ceasefire standoff escalates

On Sunday, Israel prevented aid trucks from entering Gaza amid an intensifying standoff regarding the truce that has maintained a cessation of hostilities for the last six weeks. In response, Hamas has urged Egyptian and Qatari mediators to step in. Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced its acceptance of a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, which called for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza during the Ramadan and Passover periods, shortly after the initial phase of the previously established ceasefire came to an end.

If an agreement is reached, the truce would suspend hostilities until the conclusion of the Ramadan fasting period, approximately March 31, and the Jewish Passover holiday, around April 20. The truce would be contingent upon Hamas releasing half of the living and deceased hostages on the initial day, with the remaining hostages released at the end, contingent upon a successful agreement for a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas has expressed its commitment to the initially agreed ceasefire, which was set to transition into a second phase, with ongoing negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict. The group has dismissed the proposal for a temporary extension of the 42-day truce.

Highlighting the precarious nature of the ceasefire arrangement, local health officials reported that Israeli gunfire resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians in separate incidents across the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military stated that “suspects” were identified near its forces in northern Gaza, alleging that they had planted a bomb, prompting an airstrike to “neutralize the threat.”

According to Egyptian sources, the Israeli delegation in Cairo sought to prolong the first phase by an additional 42 days, while Hamas aimed to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. Spokesman Hazem Qassem indicated on Saturday that the group rejected Israel’s proposal for extending the first phase.

During the initial phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages, along with five Thais in an unscheduled release, in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli custody, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain positions in Gaza. The original agreement stipulated that the second phase would initiate negotiations regarding the release of the remaining 59 hostages, the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and a definitive conclusion to the conflict.