Hamas calls Israel’s move ‘cheap blackmail’ and a ‘coup’ on the ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
Israel has issued a threat to Hamas, saying there would be “consequences” if the Palestinian group did not agree to extend the now-ended phase one of the ceasefire agreement following a proposal put forward by the United States presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff.
The first phase of the agreement ended on Saturday, but Israel is yet to move ahead with the second phase, which would have ultimately led to a permanent end to the war.
A statement by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, published early on Sunday, came minutes after phase one had ended.
Talks on the second phase of the agreement remain inconclusive.
Also on Sunday, Israel said it was stopping entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip.
According to Witkoff’s plan, half of the captives, both living and deceased, would be released on the first day, with the remainder freed if a permanent ceasefire is reached, Netanyahu’s office added.
Moreover, the Israeli statement said it can resume military operations if negotiations prove to be “ineffective”.
“If Hamas changes its position, Israel will immediately enter into negotiations on all the details of the Witkoff plan,” it added.
Hamas had earlier rejected Israel’s “formulation” of extending the first phase of the ceasefire during Ramadan and Passover and instead called for the second phase as originally planned.
In response to Israel’s threat of stopping of aid, Hamas said the move “is a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering into negotiations for its second phase”.
“Netanyahu’s decision to stop humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant coup against the agreement,” it said in a statement. “The war criminal Netanyahu is trying to impose political facts on the ground, which his fascist army failed to establish over 15 months of brutal genocide, due to the steadfastness, bravery and resistance of our people.
“He is seeking to overthrow the signed agreement in service of his narrow internal political calculations, at the expense of the occupation prisoners in Gaza and their lives.”
Tensions rise amid uncertainty
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from southern Gaza, said Palestinians in the coastal enclave were “very stressed”.
“They feel that this ceasefire is very fragile,” she said. “There are Israeli jets and drones hovering in the sky, making Palestinians feel that at any minute, Israeli forces can target any place across the Strip.”
Stephen Zunes, the director of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, says the US has put forth a proposal that favours Israel.
“This is typical,” he told Al Jazeera from San Francisco. “Hamas and Israel will agree to something. Then Israel will try to revise it in its favour. Then the US will put forward a new proposal that is in Israel’s favour and then the US will blame Hamas for not accepting that proposal,” he said, adding that this was a pattern seen since the beginning of the war.
Zunes also said Israel’s refusal to engage in talks for a second phase is putting Hamas in a “difficult situation”.
‘Ceasefire must hold’
Meanwhile, humanitarian organisations have repeatedly said the ceasefire must continue if they are to provide much-needed aid to Palestinians in the coastal enclave, which has been devastated by the war.
“The impact of safe and sustained humanitarian access is evident,” the World Food Programme said in a post on X on Saturday. “The ceasefire must hold. There can be no going back.”
While the ceasefire has held since it began on January 19, Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) has reported more than 350 violations by Israel, including military incursions, gunfire, air raids, intensified surveillance and the obstruction of aid since the ceasefire began after nearly 15 months of the war.
According to the GMO, the Israeli army has killed and wounded dozens of Palestinians in air attacks as well as shootings since the ceasefire began.
