Israel stops aid into Gaza after Hamas attack, threatens revenge

Following an attack by Hamas militants, Israel closed its main crossing point for the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday. The defense minister warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza” and insisted that Hamas was not serious about a cease-fire agreement.

Despite apparent progress, both dealt a crushing blow to the ongoing cease-fire discussions in Cairo, which are being mediated by Qatar and Egypt. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that “we see signs that Hamas does not intend to go to any agreement,” in contrast to Hamas, which has sent a delegation.

Under pressure from hard-liners in his cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persisted in downplaying the likelihood of a cease-fire agreement and referred to the demands of Hamas as “extreme,” which included the evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the conflict. After the combat began on October 7 due to an attack by Hamas, Netanyahu stated that this would equate to surrender.

Gallant’s remarks elicited no instant response from Hamas. In a previous statement, Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas, stated that halting Israeli aggression in Gaza is the group’s top priority and that the terrorist group was serious and optimistic about the negotiations.

However, the government of Israel once more pledged to continue its military campaign in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza on the Egyptian border, where over half of the 2.3 million people living in Gaza currently seek refuge.

Another is the now-closed Kerem Shalom. Ten rockets were fired at the southern Israel border, according to the Israeli military, which also claimed that its fighter jets later hit the source. According to Hamas, it has been aiming its missiles at nearby Israeli troops. According to Israel’s Channel 12 TV, three of the ten casualties were critical. How long the crossing will be closed was unknown.

Following one of the most vocal warnings to date about the consequences of limits on food and other help entering the region, the head of the U.N. World Food Program declared that there was a “full-blown famine” in the severely damaged northern Gaza, the attack occurred. It was not an official announcement of hunger in the comments.

The enormous humanitarian needs of Gaza put further strain on the cease-fire negotiations. The three-step process outlined in the proposal that Egyptian mediators presented to Hamas calls for an immediate, six-week cease-fire, the partial return of Israeli hostages abducted in the attack on October 7, and an Israeli withdrawal of some kind. There would be 40 days in the first phase. First, Hamas would exchange Israeli-held Palestinian detainees for the release of female civilian captives.

On October 7, a cross-border attack by Hamas claimed the lives of almost 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more. According to Israel, extremists are still holding some 100 hostages, along with the bodies of over 30 more. The families of some hostages are putting increasing pressure on Netanyahu to strike a compromise to put an end to the conflict and rescue the hostages.

Palestinian health officials report that around 34,500 people have been killed by Israel’s air and ground attack. They do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, although they do state that women and children make up the majority of those dead.

Israel accuses Hamas of infiltrating residential and public spaces and is to blame for civilian killings. The Israeli military claims to have killed 13,000 militants, although it has not produced any proof to support this claim.

Additionally on Sunday, Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved a move to shut down Qatar’s Al Jazeera news channel on the grounds that it was disseminating incitement against Israel. The choice posed a risk of further upsetting the negotiations for a cease-fire.