 "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a memorial ceremony for those killed by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack, in Jerusalem, on October 28, 2024. AP File")
A day after Israel blocked aid deliveries into Gaza amid an impasse in truce talks, Israel on Monday defended its decision and accused Hamas militants of hoarding supplies, including “enough food” in Gaza.
Addressing a press briefing on Monday, AFP quoted Israeli government spokesman David Mencer as saying, “The Palestinian group was hoarding supplies for its militants for months and months and has enough food to fuel an obesity epidemic”.
He added that “no one is going hungry in Hamas” and that “the supplies are there, but Hamas don’t share.”
Reacting to Israel’s decision to block aid, Arab states including Egypt and Qatar said that Israel’s move violated the ceasefire deal and accused it of using “food as a weapon of war”.
The Egyptian foreign ministry accused Israel of using starvation as “a weapon against the Palestinian people”.
Similarly, Qatar’s foreign ministry said, “Qatar strongly condemns the decision of the Israeli occupation government to stop bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and considers it a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, (and) international humanitarian law,” adding its “rejection of the use of food as a weapon of war”.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, demanded that “humanitarian aid flow back into Gaza immediately” with the organisation’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher describing the move as “alarming”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that it is implementing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas refused to accept a plan proposed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The plan aimed to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, continue releasing hostages, and delay the second phase, which would theoretically involve a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, effectively ending the conflict.
“With the end of phase one of the hostage deal, and in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff outline for continuing talks – to which Israel agreed – Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will cease. Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” The Guardian quoted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office as saying in a statement.
“If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences,” the statement added.
After the announcement, Netanyahu’s spokesperson, Omer Dostri, said, “No trucks entered Gaza this morning, nor will they at this stage.”
A spokesperson for Palestinian militant group Hamas said Israel’s blockade was “cheap blackmail” and a “coup” against the internationally mediated ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, Israel’s PM Netanyahu on Monday warned Hamas of consequences it “cannot imagine” if the Palestinian Islamist movement does not release the hostages held in Gaza.
“I tell Hamas: If you do not release our hostages, there will be consequences that you cannot imagine,” AFP quoted Netanyahu as saying aid during a speech at the Israeli parliament, as negotiations for the Gaza ceasefire’s continuation have stalled.
Praising US President Donald Trump’s “visionary and innovative” plan to forcibly remove Gaza residents, Netanyahu said it was time to give Palestinians “the freedom to leave” the territory.
“President Trump presented a visionary and innovative vision for the freedom of migration from Gaza, and I believe it’s a vision that should be supported,” Netanyahu said, adding, “It’s time to give the residents of Gaza a real choice. It’s time to give them the freedom to leave.”
With inputs from agencies