Israel’s Netanyahu blocking Gaza aid ‘with unlimited US backing’: Hamas

By Yakoota Al Ahmad and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preventing humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip with “unlimited US political and military support,” the Palestinian group Hamas said Monday.

In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of committing “collective punishment” by keeping Gaza’s border crossings closed to humanitarian aid and commercial goods, calling it a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

“Blocking the entry of food, medicine and essential supplies is a war crime aimed at strangling our resilient people and imposing catastrophic conditions on over 2 million Palestinians,” the group said.

Hamas denounced Netanyahu’s decision to halt aid, saying his public declaration reflected his “disregard for international law and treaties, as well as his indifference to the consequences of his crimes, enabled by unlimited US support.”

The group called on Arab and Islamic nations, the UN and the global community to take immediate action to end the humanitarian crisis, ensure aid delivery, and lift “a siege that threatens millions of Palestinian lives amid continued Israeli violations of international agreements.”

On Monday evening, Netanyahu defended the blockade.

“We decided on Saturday to stop the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza,” he said.

He warned Hamas that if it did not release Israeli captives, “the consequences will be unimaginable,” adding that Israel, with support from US President Donald Trump, is prepared for the “next phases of the war.”

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement formally ended at midnight Saturday after 42 days, with Israel refusing to advance to the second phase, which would have led to an end to the war.

Netanyahu seeks to prolong the first phase of the prisoner exchange deal to secure the release of as many Israeli hostages as possible without fulfilling the agreement’s military and humanitarian obligations—moves aimed at appeasing hardliners in his government.

Hamas rejects this, insisting that Israel abide by the ceasefire terms and urging mediators to immediately begin talks on the second phase, which includes an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a full cessation of hostilities.

The agreement has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 48,400 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.