10 hours ago
11
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel is facing sharp criticism from around the world for halting the entry of all humanitarian aid and other supplies to Gaza on Sunday. Israel is using starvation as a weapon to pressure Hamas into accepting the unilateral ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States.
As reported by Arab News, mediators from Egypt and Qatar have accused Israel of violating humanitarian law by using starvation as a weapon.
The first phase of the ceasefire showed a surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza after months of increased starvation.
Hamas has accused Israel of trying to derail the next phase on Sunday, just hours after the first phase had ended. They labeled Israel's decision to halt aid as "war crimes and open aggression" against the ceasefire that required a year of negotiation before being implemented on January 19.
In the second phase agreement, Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. The second phase of negotiations was supposed to start a month ago, but they have not commenced.
Israel stated on Sunday that the new U.S. proposal called for extending the first phase of the ceasefire until Ramadan - the holy month for Muslims beginning this weekend - and the Jewish Passover holiday, ending on April 20.
Based on this proposal, Hamas is required to release half of the hostages on the first day and the remainder when an agreement on a permanent ceasefire is reached, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 35 of whom are believed to have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Washington has yet to comment. Netanyahu said Israel is in full coordination with the Trump administration and the ceasefire will only continue as long as Hamas continues to release hostages.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that the ceasefire has saved many lives. They said, "any loss of the forward momentum created over the last six weeks risks making the population desperate again."
U.N. Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher called Israel's decision "worrisome," emphasizing that international humanitarian law clearly states that aid access must be allowed.
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) accused Israel of using aid as a bargaining tool and called it "unacceptable" and "outrageous."
Five non-governmental organizations have called on the Israeli Supreme Court to issue a temporary order prohibiting the state from preventing aid from entering Gaza. They asserted that such actions violate Israel's obligations under international law: "These obligations cannot be based on political considerations."
Israel's genocide has left the majority of Gaza's population, numbering over 2 million, dependent on international aid. Around 600 aid trucks have been entering daily since the ceasefire began on January 19, reducing concerns of starvation expressed by international experts.
However, Palestinians said prices have risen as news of the blockade spreads.
From the severely damaged Jabaliya refugee camp, Fayza Nassar said the aid blockade will worsen the already dire conditions. "There will be famine and chaos," she said.
Hamas warned that any effort to delay or cancel the ceasefire agreement will have "humanitarian consequences" for the hostages. The group said the only way to free them is through the existing agreement.
Hostage families also put pressure on the Israeli government.
"Delaying negotiations for (the release) of all the people cannot be done," said Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of hostage Omri Miran, in Tel Aviv. "The hostages do not have time to wait for an ideal agreement."
Israel Blocks Aid Amid Genocide
Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in the early days of the war and only eased it under U.S. pressure. U.N. agencies and aid groups accused Israel of not providing sufficient access for humanitarian aid for 15 months during the genocide in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said there are grounds to believe that Israel has used "starvation as a method of warfare" when issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last year. These allegations are also key in South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide.
Israel has denied these allegations, claiming to have allowed sufficient aid and blaming the shortage on the U.N.'s inability to distribute it. They also accused Hamas of siphoning off aid - an allegation reiterated by Netanyahu on Sunday.
Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch, said Israel, as an occupying power, has an "absolute obligation" to facilitate humanitarian aid based on the Geneva Conventions. Roth also called Israel's decision a "resumption of the starvation strategy of war crimes" that leads to an ICC arrest warrant.
The Israeli genocide in Gaza began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
However, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant later admitted that a number of the casualties in the attack were also due to Israeli military strikes to prevent them from being taken to Gaza, known as Operation Hannibal.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 48,360 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the majority of whom are women and children. Israeli bombings have devastated much of Gaza and forced about 90 percent of its over 2 million residents to flee.
Editor's Choice: Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel's Blocking of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
