Israel Halts Aid to Gaza and Proposes New Framework for an End to the War

Israel announced on Sunday that it would immediately suspend the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza, aiming to pressure Hamas into agreeing to a temporary extension of the cease-fire.

This decision disrupts the existing negotiation framework for a permanent resolution to the war and casts uncertainty over the fate of the hostages. The complete halt on aid, including fuel, is expected to further deteriorate conditions for Gaza’s approximately two million residents, who are already suffering after 15 months of conflict that has devastated the coastal enclave.

The initial six-week phase of the original agreement between Israel and Hamas expired on Saturday. Despite setbacks and mutual accusations of violations, the deal temporarily halted hostilities and led to the exchange of 25 living Israeli hostages and the remains of eight deceased ones for about 1,500 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. It also facilitated a substantial increase in aid to Gaza.

Under the next phase of the agreement, Israel was to fully withdraw its troops from Gaza and commit to a permanent cease-fire in exchange for the release of all remaining living hostages, who, according to freed captives, are being held under inhumane conditions.

Instead, just hours before announcing the aid suspension, Israel proposed extending the temporary cease-fire for seven weeks. During this period, Hamas would be required to release half of the remaining living hostages as well as the remains of half of the deceased ones. If a permanent cease-fire agreement were reached at the end of the extension, all remaining hostages would be released, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

“Israel will not agree to a cease-fire without the release of our hostages,” the statement declared on Sunday. “If Hamas continues to refuse, there will be further consequences,” it warned.

Hamas immediately rejected Israel’s conditions, calling the aid cutoff “cheap blackmail” and accusing Israel of “blatantly overturning the agreement.”

Israel credited U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff for the new proposal. The original agreement was mediated by third parties, including the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.

Throughout last year, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations repeatedly warned of an impending famine in Gaza due to widespread hunger caused by the war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. While goods are now more available, many Gazans report that they cannot afford them and remain dependent on humanitarian aid.

The halt in aid has added to the struggles of Palestinians in Gaza, who were already finding it difficult to observe Ramadan, a normally joyous period in the Muslim calendar that began this weekend.

Abdulrahman Mohammed, a 35-year-old father of four from Gaza City, said essential items such as milk, fruits, and vegetables were becoming scarce. Prices have surged, he noted, adding that some merchants were stockpiling supplies to sell later at even higher prices.

Two Israeli officials, speaking anonymously, claimed that the aid and goods that had entered Gaza in recent months and during the temporary cease-fire were sufficient to last several more months, though they did not provide further details. They added that the new restrictions would not apply to water supplies.

Under the existing cease-fire agreement, Israel was expected to begin withdrawing its troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic strip along Gaza’s border with Egypt. However, as of Sunday, no such movement had taken place.

Netanyahu stated that the proposed cease-fire extension should last through Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, which ends on April 20.

Speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said that Witkoff had suggested the framework for extending the cease-fire after assessing that Israel and Hamas remained too far apart in their positions regarding the second phase of the deal.

According to Netanyahu, Witkoff believed additional time was necessary to negotiate an agreement. “He even described his proposal as a corridor for negotiations on the second stage,” Netanyahu added. “Israel is ready for this.”

However, the Israeli government has been firm that the war in Gaza will not end unless Hamas is disarmed and removed from power—conditions that Hamas has largely rejected.

Israelis have been deeply affected by the testimonies of recently released hostages, who described months spent in dark tunnels, living in constant fear with minimal food, and in some cases, shackled. Families of those still in captivity have been urging the government to bring all hostages home at once.

“President Trump, bring us a better deal, a safer deal,” pleaded Ilay David, the brother of Evyatar David, a hostage in Gaza. “No stages, no phases. One deal to bring everyone home,” he said in a recorded message released by the Hostages Families Forum, a group advocating for their release.

According to Netanyahu, up to 24 hostages are believed to still be alive in Gaza, while Hamas also holds the remains of at least 35 others. “We are not giving up on anyone,” he emphasized.

“There will be no free lunches,” Netanyahu asserted, warning, “If Hamas thinks it can prolong the cease-fire or benefit from the initial phase without releasing hostages, it is gravely mistaken.”

On Sunday, Hamas reiterated its willingness to enter negotiations for the next phase of the agreement but accused Israel of trying to backtrack on its commitments.

Hamas is unlikely to accept Israel’s new offer without additional negotiations, said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. State Department analyst and negotiator, now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He noted that the proposal “allows Israel to retrieve hostages without making equivalent concessions.”

Israel also hinted at the possibility of resuming military operations in Gaza, stating that under the original agreement, it had the option to restart fighting if negotiations proved unproductive.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday that he had signed an emergency declaration to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military aid to Israel.