Israel has blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday and carried out an airstrike as tensions escalate over the truce that has paused fighting for the past six weeks. Hamas has called on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene in the stalled negotiations.
Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that it had adopted a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, advocating for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza during the Ramadan and Passover periods. This decision came hours after the first phase of the previously agreed ceasefire expired.
If agreed upon, the truce would suspend hostilities until the end of Ramadan around March 31 and the Jewish Passover holiday around April 20.
Ceasefire Phases
The proposed truce is contingent upon Hamas releasing half of the living and deceased hostages on the first day, with the remaining hostages to be released at the conclusion of the truce, provided a permanent ceasefire agreement is reached.
Hamas has expressed commitment to the originally agreed ceasefire, which was scheduled to move into a second phase focused on negotiations aimed at a permanent end to the war. The group has rejected the notion of a temporary extension to the existing 42-day truce.
Highlighting the fragile nature of the ceasefire, local health officials reported that Israeli gunfire resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians in separate attacks in the northern and southern Gaza Strip. In response, the Israeli military stated that \"suspects\" were identified near its troops in northern Gaza, who had planted a bomb. The military proceeded with an airstrike to \"eliminate the threat.\"
