GAZA/QATAR: Hamas has said Israel “bears responsibility” for the fate of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after it suspended the entry of humanitarian aid over a dispute on extending the ceasefire, AFP reports.
“The occupation (Israel) bears responsibility for the consequences of its decision on the population of the (Gaza) Strip and for the fate of its prisoners” held by Hamas or other armed groups, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.
Israel’s decision to block all aid going into the Gaza Strip is a “war crime” under international law, according reports quoting a human rights expert.
Kenneth Roth — the former head of Human Rights Watch and now a visiting professor at Princeton University — said that Israel as an occupying power has an “absolute duty” to facilitate humanitarian aid under the Geneva Conventions.
“Israel’s latest threat to cut off all aid is a resumption of the war crime starvation strategy” that led to the arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court, he said.
Islamic Jihad blames Israel for ‘sabotaging’ ceasefire deal
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, has weighed in on Israel’s move to halt aid into Gaza and push for a revised ceasefire extension, Al Jazeera reports.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad accused Israel of “sabotaging” the existing ceasefire framework.
“We, in the Islamic Jihad Movement and the resistance factions, reaffirm our commitment to the ceasefire based on the three phases, and we will continue to abide by what was agreed upon,” it said.
Gaza people rush to markets, aid warehouses during Israel blockade
Following the conclusion of the first stage of the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has suspended the delivery of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reports.
“Right now in Rafah, we see no sign of aid coming in so far,” he adds, describing the situation as “very critical”.
Azzoum reports that families have started to rush to local markets or stand at the gates of UN agencies and warehouses to get aid. “They believe the possibility of the war resuming again is high,” he adds.
Egypt urges ‘full implementation’ of Gaza ceasefire deal
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has urged the “full implementation” of the Gaza ceasefire deal, calling on the European Union to pressure Israel to enforce it, AFP reports.
“There is no alternative to the faithful and full implementation by all parties of what was signed last January,” Abdelatty said at a press conference in Cairo, urging the EU to exert “maximum pressure on the parties, especially the Israeli party, regarding commitment to the ceasefire agreement”.
