Hamas says Gaza aid block impacts Israeli hostages

Hamas has accused Israel 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 militants 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 1 March, had enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance.

Under the first phase, Gaza militants 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 Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, 58 remain in the Palestinian territory, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

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.

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 Islamist movement said Mr 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.

European countries back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction

It comes as the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain have said they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave.

"The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza," the ministers said in a joint statement.

The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders, has been rejected by US President Donald Trump.

Earlier, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation formally adopted the Arab League counter-proposal to US President Donald Trump's plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents, and called on the international community to support the regional initiative.

The decision by the 57-member grouping came at an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, three days after the Arab League ratified the plan at a summit in Cairo.

The Egyptian-crafted alternative to Mr Trump's widely condemned takeover proposes to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority.

The OIC "adopts the plan...on the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza", a communique said.

The body, which represents the Muslim world, urged "the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan".

Donald Trump triggered global outrage when he suggested the US "take over" Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East", while forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt or Jordan.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty welcomed the OIC endorsement and said he now hoped to gain support from the wider international community, including the US.

"The next step is for the plan to become an international plan through adoption by the European Union and international parties such as Japan, Russia, China and others," Mr Abdelatty said.

Freed hostages urge Netanyahu to implement Gaza deal

It comes as more than 50 freed Israeli hostages have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fully implement the Gaza ceasefire deal and secure the release of those still held in the Palestinian territory.

"We who have experienced the inferno know that a return to war is life-threatening for those still left behind," a group of 56 freed hostages said in a letter posted on the social media platform Instagram yesterday evening.

"Implement the agreement in full, in one single manoeuvre."

Among those to sign the letter was Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons died while held captive in Gaza.

Their plea came as Hamas released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Angrest alive, footage that his family said had left them "shaken".

In the footage, Mr Angrest, who turned 22 in November, also calls on the Israeli authorities to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire ended on 1 March after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, though hostilities have not resumed.

Israel conducts strikes in Gaza during ceasefire

The Israeli military said it conducted an air strike this morning in the Gaza Strip targeting several people attempting to retrieve a drone that had crossed into the Palestinian territory.

The military claims that the drone had flown from Israeli territory before being targeted by an Israeli aircraft in south Gaza.

Yesterday, an Israeli drone strike killed two people in Gaza, according to local Palestinian medical authorities.

The Palestinian health ministry and officials at the Al-Ahly hospital said the Israeli strike hit the Shejaia area of Gaza City.