Israel halts humanitarian aid entry to Gaza hours after 1st phase of ceasefire deal ended: Israeli media

By Zein Khalil and Ikram Kouachi

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli government has decided to halt the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Sunday, just hours after the official completion of the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, according to Israeli media.

Channel 12 reported that "the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza has been stopped following the official end of the ceasefire.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 14 stated that "in a discussion led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, a decision was made to halt humanitarian truck deliveries into Gaza until further notice."

The report added that the decision was coordinated with the United States.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which lasted 42 days, officially ended at midnight on Saturday. However, Israel has not agreed to move forward with the second phase or bring the war to an end.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel said that it agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan and Passover, following a proposal from US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, hours after the first phase of a ceasefire was set to expire.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place since January, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 48,380 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.