Israel’s decision to freeze aid shipments to the Gaza Strip was motivated by Hamas’s takeover of the goods and rejection of a truce extension, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reiterated at a press briefing on Tuesday.
“Saturday was the last day of the first phase of the framework for the release of our hostages. Israel has fully implemented its part, including the part of humanitarian aid, fully and down to the last day,” said Sa’ar, speaking in English for international media.
He noted that Israel had agreed to the proposal of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, that the truce be extended for the month of Ramadan. “Unfortunately, Hamas rejected the offer. Accordingly, Israel stopped enabling the entry of aid into Gaza,” continued the top diplomat.
“Aid that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian,” he said. “Unfortunately, Hamas’s takeover of goods turned it into an economic engine for them. It became the number one budget income for Hamas in Gaza. They use that money for terror, to restore terror capabilities and get more young terrorists to join their organization.”
Sa’ar also referenced remarks in which former U.S. president Joe Biden promised to end aid to the Strip if Hamas stole the shipments. During Biden’s visit to Israel in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, he released a statement confirming that he had asked the Israeli Cabinet to agree to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza “based on the understanding that there will be inspections and that the aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas.”
“Let me be clear: If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people and it will end. As a practical matter, it will—it will stop the international community from being able to provide this aid,” said Biden.
On Tuesday, Sa’ar noted that the Islamist terror group was not just taking over the humanitarian aid. “They are shooting the civilians who try to get access to the aid. They use it as an engine in their war against Israel,” Jerusalem’s top diplomat added, declaring: “This can not continue and will not continue.”
The first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire with Hamas, which went into effect on Jan. 19, formally expired at midnight on Saturday.
Jerusalem subsequently announced it had suspended all humanitarian aid to Gaza after Hamas rejected the U.S. extension proposal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that no supplies would enter Gaza until further notice, reaffirming that Jerusalem would not agree to a ceasefire without Hamas continuing to release hostages.
Hamas insists on moving to Phase 2 of the ceasefire, which calls for talks on a permanent end to hostilities, full IDF military withdrawal from the coastal enclave, reconstruction and a prisoner-hostage exchange.
“Hamas currently controls all of the supplies and goods that are being sent to the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. The Islamist terrorists are “abusing the Gazan population that is trying to receive the aid, it is shooting at them, and is turning the humanitarian aid into a budget for terrorism directed against us,” he added.
If Hamas continues its opposition to a ceasefire extension, “there will be additional consequences, which I will not detail here,” he stated.
