• Prime Minister Netanyahu justifies the blockade. Food prices in Gaza have doubled.
• The U.S. has approved over £3 billion in arms shipments, while Israeli forces escalate destruction in the West Bank.
Israel aims to “suffocate the people of Gaza” through its repeated ceasefire violations, escalating its stranglehold on the besieged territory.
The Israeli regime has blocked vital aid, imposed new conditions on a permanent ceasefire, and threatened to continue with its massacre on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared, “Israel has decided to stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza”. He claimed Hamas “uses these supplies to finance its terror machine”.
Alaa Salamah, a Palestinian journalist in Gaza, described the dire situation, stating, “Israel is threatening and targeting people, closing borders, and refusing to let in any aid. These restrictions are to suffocate the people in Gaza.”
Following Israel’s blockade, food prices in Gaza immediately doubled. The second phase of negotiations—set to begin last Saturday—was supposed to facilitate the release of all hostages and discussions on a lasting ceasefire. However, Israel has reneged on this agreement, instead pushing a self-serving proposal.
Israel is working to implement a new framework aligned with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, which deliberately sidesteps negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. Instead, it offers a temporary truce during Ramadan and Passover, lasting until April 20, while demanding that Hamas release half of all hostages immediately and the rest in April.
Alaa noted, “I think Israel is trying to put pressure on Hamas without committing to the next phase of the ceasefire. Israel just wants all of its captives back without any commitment.”
Hamas has condemned the proposal as “cheap extortion, a war crime, and a blatant attack.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar echoed this strategy when he admitted Israel was ready for the second phase of the deal—but “not for free.”
As these negotiations unfold, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has authorised over £3 billion in arms shipments to Israel, bypassing Congress by invoking “emergency authorities.” This package includes more than 35,000 2,000-pound bombs.
At the same time, Israeli forces are intensifying demolition and destruction in the West Bank, displacing over 40,000 people since the ceasefire in Gaza began. Yet Netanyahu remains determined to complete the “campaign” in Gaza, confident in the unwavering support of Donald Trump and the U.S.
Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the aid blockade as “an important step in the right direction.” He went even further, describing it as “the threshold of the gates of hell,” before calling for an escalation: “Now we need to open those gates as quickly and lethally as possible on the cruel enemy, until absolute victory.”
