Hamas has rejected an Israeli request to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, a senior official has said.
The militant group will only release the remaining Israeli hostages under the terms of the already agreed-upon phased deal, Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera on Sunday.
Under a plan put forward by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which Israel has accepted, the first phase of the ceasefire deal would continue through Ramadan and Passover, or until 20 April.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier Israel would stop all goods and supplies into Gaza after claiming Hamas was refusing to “accept the Witkoff outline for continuing the talks, which Israel agreed to”.
Hamas condemned the decision to block aid to the enclave, calling it “a war crime and a blatant attack” on a truce that took a year of negotiations before taking hold in January.
The foreign minister of Egypt, a key mediator in the conflict, said the plan was an attempt to use “starvation as a weapon” and “a flagrant and clear violation of humanitarian law”.
Saudi Arabia called Israel’s decision “a tool of extortion”.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which expired on Saturday, saw a surge in humanitarian aid after months of growing hunger.
Negotiations on the second phase were meant to start a month ago but haven’t begun.
Israel warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas refused to agree to its proposal.
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