March 2 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would not allow any further humanitarian aid into Gaza, a move the United States says it supports. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials said Israeli fighters had killed some 116 people since the tenuous first phase of a cease-fire took effect in January.
"In light of Hamas' rejection of the Witkoff Outline, we decided to prevent any entry of goods and supplies into Gaza," Netanyahu said in a statement. "If Hamas continues to entrench itself and does not release our hostages, there will be further consequences."
Netanyahu was referring to a new cease-fire extension plan proposed by Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East under President Donald Trump, after the terms for a second phase of the cease-fire were already negotiated.
Witkoff's new proposal, in favor of Israel, calls to extend the cease-fire through the end of Passover on April 20, and for the release of half of Hamas' remaining captives at the beginning of the extended cease-fire with the rest to be freed by the end of the period.
Hamas has rejected that proposal, favoring immediately beginning the already negotiated second phase, which would release more Palestinian people held prisoner in Israel in exchange for the release of the rest of the Israeli hostages, Israel's withdraw from Gaza and the beginning of lasting peace talks between the two factions.
Essentially, the original second phase of the cease-fire deal aimed to transition immediately into permanent cease-fire talks and was designed to set the stage for Gaza's long-term governance and reconstruction. Witkoff's plan delays Israel's full withdrawal and stretches out peace talks, effectively postponing any permanent cease-fire commitments.
In a statement Sunday, the White House said it will support Israel's decision.
"Israel has negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorist," National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement, ABC News reported.
"We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it's no longer interested in a negotiated cease-fire."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the State of Palestine, an agency under the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, called for the international community to "force the occupation to allow the entry of aid into Gaza."
The ministry warned of the risks of Netanyahu's decision and its "catastrophic consequences" because of the amount of suffering faced by Palestinians in Gaza amid the holy month of Ramadan.
Israel, the ministry said, is seeking to "politicize aid" and use it to "blackmail" Palestinians, deepening the suffering of more than 2 million people facing a "war of genocide and displacement." Hamas, which leads Gaza, said Netanyahu's decision amounted to a "war crime."
The news came as the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in a statement that Israeli fighters had injured some 490 people for a total of some 48,388 people dead and 111,803 people injured since October 7, 2023, when the war began.
