Israel has cut off the entry of all food and other goods into Palestine’s Gaza in an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of its war on the enclave. The United Nations and other humanitarian aid providers are sharply criticising the decision and calling it a violation of international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected moving to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, acknowledging his use of starvation tactics against the territory’s population to pressure the Palestinian group Hamas.
The Israeli government halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, hours after the expiry of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
“A tool of extortion,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said. “A reckless act of collective punishment,” Oxfam said.
Key mediator Egypt accused Israel of using “starvation as a weapon.”
Hunger has been an issue throughout the war for Gaza’s over 2 million people, and some aid experts had warned of possible famine.
Now, there is concern about losing the progress experts reported during the past six weeks of a ceasefire.
Israel also warned it could resume the war after the first phase if it believes negotiations are ineffective.
Negotiations on the second phase were meant to start a month ago, increasing the uncertainty around the fragile truce.
Hamas has insisted that those talks begin.
Later Sunday, Israel announced the immediate cutoff of aid to Gaza.
The Trump administration has not stated Israel’s announcement or its decision to cut off aid.
Aid organisations repeatedly criticised Israeli restrictions on items entering the small coastal territory, while hundreds of trucks with aid at times waited to enter.
Still, Palestinians in Gaza were able to stock up on some supplies.
“The ceasefire brought some much-needed relief to Gaza, but it was far from enough to cover the immense needs,” the Norwegian Refugee Council said Sunday.
Israel’s announcement came hours after Muslims in Gaza marked the first breaking of the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
Legal implications
Prominent in the immediate criticism of Israel’s aid cutoff were statements calling the decision a violation.
“International humanitarian law is clear: We must be allowed access to deliver vital lifesaving aid,” said the UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher.
Hours after Israel's announcement, five non-governmental groups asked Israel’s Supreme Court for an interim order barring the state from preventing aid from entering Gaza, claiming the move violates Israel’s obligations under international law and amounts to a war crime:
“These obligations cannot be conditioned on political considerations.”
