CNN
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A delicate truce between Israel and Hamas hangs by a thread after Israel blocked humanitarian aid into Gaza, in response to Hamas rejecting a new Israeli proposal to extend the ceasefire without any commitment to end the war or fully withdraw troops.
Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement, calling its decision to halt humanitarian aid “cheap blackmail” and a “war crime.”
Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza after the return of four bodies last week. Of the 59, 24 are thought to be alive, according to Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, aid groups and the United Nations have slammed the Israeli announcement to halt aid, with Egypt, a mediator in the ceasefire deal, saying it “unequivocally rejects the politicization of humanitarian aid and its exploitation as a tool of blackmail.”
Here’s what we know about the agreement and the hurdles it is facing.
The ceasefire deal is meant to take place in three phases.
On January 19, the first phase of the agreement came into effect. It lasted 42 days and expired last weekend.
The first phase was intended to free 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and an influx of aid into Gaza.
Ultimately, Hamas released 38 hostages over 39 days.
Israel released 1,737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 120 women and children. Some had been convicted of serious crimes including murder. The majority had been detained and held without any charge.
Israeli forces also withdrew to Gaza’s border regions, leaving all urban centers and a key corridor splitting the enclave in half.
A second, 42-day ceasefire phase was meant to see a commitment to permanently ending the war, the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza, and the release of all living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The exact details of phase two were meant to have been decided during the first phase. The second phase was supposed to have begun Sunday.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates that the truce can continue so long as negotiators are talking. The two sides were meant to begin talks on a permanent end to the war in early February. However, weeks have passed and it’s unclear if they have started.
On Friday, an Israeli delegation abruptly returned from Cairo, one day after arriving there. A Hamas spokesperson over the weekend said there were currently “no negotiations” underway on the second phase, blaming Israel for the failure to start talks.
Israel now wants to extend the first phase of the deal for another 42 days to continue the exchange of hostages, alive and deceased, in return for the continued release of Palestinian prisoners and the flow of higher volumes of aid into Gaza – but without any commitment to permanently ending the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the proposed extension, which would run through the Islamic month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, was an idea put forward by President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Passover ends in mid-April.
There has been no word from Witkoff or the Trump administration on the revised plan, nor on Israel’s assertion that suspending aid for Gaza was agreed with Washington.
Israel said Hamas rejected the proposal, and in return, halted all humanitarian aid into the strip.
“In light of Hamas’ refusal to accept the (US envoy Steve) Witkoff framework for continuing the talks — which Israel had agreed to — Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be stopped,” Netanyahu’s office said Sunday.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office (PMO) warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas continues to refuse to accept the proposal. Israel would not allow a ceasefire without the release of the remaining hostages, the statement added.
Hamas is seeking negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza under the second stage of the truce, accusing Israel of “ongoing manipulation” with its proposed extension of phase one.
The group lambasted Israel’s announcement and appealed to mediators to pressure Israel into ending its “punitive and immoral measures.”
Hamas also said the proposed extension “is a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and evade entering into negotiations for its second phase,” adding that the only way to return the hostages “is to adhere to the agreement, immediately enter into negotiations to start the second stage, and the occupation’s commitment to implement its pledges.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to implementing the signed agreement in its three stages, and we have repeatedly announced our readiness to begin negotiations for the second stage of the agreement,” the group added on Sunday.
Israel has framed the extension proposal as a US-led effort. It is unclear which country initiated the proposal, but White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes has expressed support for Israel.
“Israel has negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists. We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,” Hughes said.
Israel’s blocking of aid was however slammed by many of the international community, including mediators of the deal, the UN and aid groups.
Egypt said it “unequivocally rejects the politicization of humanitarian aid and its exploitation as a tool of blackmail.” It called on the international community to “take decisive action to compel the Israeli government to allow the unconditional entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Qatar said it categorically rejects “the use of food as war weapon and starvation of civilians.”
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA), Tom Fletcher, said on X that “Israel’s decision to halt aid into Gaza is alarming.”
“International humanitarian law is clear: We must be allowed access to deliver vital lifesaving aid,” he said, adding that “the ceasefire must hold.”
The fate of dozens of Israeli hostages and tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza now remains unclear amid fears that the ceasefire may collapse.
Netanyahu remains under pressure by far-right ministers of his government to return to war, a prospect that may be met with less opposition under the new Trump administration.
In a press release, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum appealed to Trump that a deal be finalized, bringing all hostages home.
Representatives of the hostages families “implored that negotiations continue without delay and pressed for finalizing a comprehensive deal to secure the immediate release of all hostages in a single phase, emphasizing that time is running out for those still in captivity,” the press release said. “President Trump, bring us a better deal, a safer deal. No stages, no phases. One deal to bring everyone home.”
In a development likely seen as provocative by Hamas, an Israel source told CNN last week that Israel will not withdraw its forces from the Gaza-Egypt border – the so-called Philadelphi Corridor – as would be required under a potential second phase of a ceasefire with Hamas.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s population of more than 2 million is at risk of losing the little aid it received during the ceasefire deal.
While the overall aid entering Gaza has increased since the ceasefire started, “restrictions by Israeli authorities on critical supplies are hindering the humanitarian response,” Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders, said. “Most of the aid that entered was food and fuel, not nearly enough to meet the people’s immense needs.”
Reuters footage on Sunday showed lines of trucks at Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt awaiting entry after Israel’s declaration that humanitarian aid is now allowed in.
The shaky ceasefire was coupled with Israeli strikes on the north and south of the strip over the weekend, which Palestinian health authorities said killed four people.
Through the ceasefire, Israel has continued to fire on Palestinians it says are violating the truce or threatening its troops.
The Israel Defense Forces said the targets “were identified planting an explosive device in the area.”
