Hamas says Gaza aid block impacts Israeli hostages

GAZA CITY: Hamas accused Israel Saturday of “committing the war crime of collective punishment” by halting aid to Gaza for a seventh day, saying it also impacted Israeli hostages still held there.

On Sunday, Israel announced it was blocking aid deliveries to Gaza until Palestinian fighters accepted its terms for an extension of the ceasefire which had largely halted more than 15 months of fighting.

The first phase of the truce, which ended on March 1, had enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance.

Under the first phase, Gaza fighters handed over 25 living hostages and eight bodies in exchange for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Of the 251 captives taken during October 7, 2023 attack, 58 remain in the Palestinian territory, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

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While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase intended to lead to a permanent end to the war.

On Saturday, a Hamas statement said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was “committing the war crime of collective punishment against over two million Palestinian civilians through starvation and the deprivation of basic life necessities for the seventh consecutive day.”

“The repercussions of such crime extend beyond our people in Gaza to include the occupation’s prisoners (hostages) held by the resistance, who are also affected by the lack of food, medicine and healthcare.”

The Palestinian movement said Netanyahu “bears full responsibility” for the consequences of the aid block and accused him of “indifference” towards the hostages held in Gaza.

A group of UN human rights experts has said that Israel is again “weaponising starvation” in Gaza by blocking the entry of humanitarian aid.

“As the occupying power, Israel is always obliged to ensure sufficient food, medical supplies and other relief services,” the experts said on Thursday.