Hamas accused Israel on Saturday of “committing the war crime of collective punishment” by halting aid to Gaza for a seventh day, saying it also impacted Israeli hostages still held there.
On Sunday, Israel announced it was blocking aid deliveries to Gaza until Palestinian militants accepted its terms for an extension of the ceasefire which had largely halted more than 15 months of fighting.
The first phase of the truce, which ended on March 1, had enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance.
Under the first phase, Gaza militants handed over 25 living hostages and eight bodies in exchange for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Of the 251 captives taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 58 remain in the Palestinian territory, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.
