Israel cuts off Gaza aid to pressure Hamas to accept new ceasefire proposal

Israel's Tel Aviv — On Sunday, Israel barred all supplies and goods from entering the Gaza Strip and threatened "additional consequences" if Hamas rejected a fresh offer to prolong a precarious ceasefire.

Israel has yet to negotiate the second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for Hamas to release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for an Israeli pullout and a permanent ceasefire. The first phase of the ceasefire, which included a surge in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. Hamas accused Israel of attempting to undermine the current ceasefire agreement and said its decision to cut off aid was "cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack" on the truce, which was established in January after more than a year of negotiations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under the existing agreements Israel could resume fighting after the first phase if it believed negotiations were ineffective. He said the ceasefire would only continue if Hamas kept releasing prisoners, assuring his Cabinet that “there will be no free lunches.” He said Israel was “full coordinated” with President Donald Trump's administration.