Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there are "no free lunches" as aid convoys are prevented from entering Gaza. (Reuters: Evelyn Hockstein)
In short:
Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas must face the consequences of refusing to accept a US proposal to extend the temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas accused Israel of a "war crime" in blocking all aid to Gaza, insisting the Netanyahu government was trying to avoid proper negotiations on a lasting peace in Gaza.
What's next?
Arab leaders are expected to discuss plans for the rebuilding of Gaza on Tuesday.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there can be no more "free lunches" for Hamas in Gaza, as he tries to pressure it to accept an extended ceasefire in Gaza.
Hours earlier his office had announced a total ban on further aid deliveries entering the war-ravaged strip, as much of its population marked the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Mr Netanyahu said it was a consequence of Hamas's rejection of a US proposal to extend the temporary truce until mid-April, in an effort to secure the release of more Israeli hostages.
But Hamas insisted the proposal was merely an attempt by Israel to avoid dealing with more difficult issues about the future of Gaza and the total withdrawal of Israeli troops, insisting the focus should be on phase two of the ceasefire.
"If Hamas changes its position, Israel will immediately enter into negotiations to implement the outline," the Israeli prime minister said at the start of a Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
"And I want to make one more thing clear: there will be no free lunches.
"If Hamas thinks that it will be possible to continue the ceasefire, or to enjoy the conditions of phase one, without us accepting hostages, it is greatly mistaken."
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has allowed limited aid into Gaza. (Reuters: Mahmoud Issa)
Hamas said the decision to block aid amounted to a "war crime" and was "cheap blackmail" by the Israeli prime minister.
"We reaffirm our commitment to implementing the agreement signed in its three phases, and we have repeatedly declared our readiness to begin negotiations on the second phase of the agreement," it said in a statement.
"The war criminal Netanyahu and his extremist government bear full responsibility for disrupting progress on the agreement, or any foolishness he may commit in overthrowing it, including the humanitarian consequences related to the prisoners of the occupation in the Gaza Strip."
Locals in Gaza have told the ABC that food prices at local markets across the strip have already doubled, in response to the aid blockage.
Phase two negotiations fail to materialise
Phase one of the ceasefire began on January 19, and expired on Sunday.
During that period, 33 hostages, including the bodies of eight Israelis who had been killed in captivity, were returned by Hamas.
Aid deliveries to Gaza had increased dramatically, with 4,200 trucks entering the strip each week.
Benjamin Netanyahu brought the flow of aid into Gaza to a halt after the ceasefire deadline passed on Saturday. (Reuters: Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
A phase two agreement would be far more complex — not only looking at a lasting peace in Gaza, but its ongoing governance and the full Israeli military withdrawal from the territory.
Those negotiations were meant to start in early February, but were repeatedly delayed and derailed, with Hamas laying blame for that squarely at Israel's feet.
Another 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israeli authorities believing 35 are dead.
Israel has pinned itself to a proposal it says is the work of Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.
Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff says phase one of the ceasefire agreement should be extended. (Reuters: Elizabeth Frantz)
Under the Witkoff plan phase one of the ceasefire would be extended through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which runs from February 28 to March 29, and through the Jewish Passover festival, which is from April 12 to April 19.
If implemented, half of the remaining Israeli hostages would be freed on day one of the deal. The rest would be freed once a permanent ceasefire was agreed to.
Hostage deal 'front loaded', analyst says
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East analyst at the US State Department and current senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the ABC the ceasefire extension proposal was unsurprisingly "heavily weighted towards the Israelis".
He argued it showed a "mind meld" between Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu.
"The Trump administration I think, in the first five weeks, is pursuing a policy that is pre-naturally very pro-Israel — it goes beyond even what the Biden administration did over the last year and a half," he said.
"I think it allows the Israelis to preserve all their options, including the resumption of hostilities which will occur in a much more aggressive form if the diplomacy breaks down.
"You don't hear the Trump administration complaining over Israel's decision to block humanitarian assistance in the Gaza."
Aaron David Miller says the extension proposal demonstrates the "mind meld" between Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu. (Reuters: Elizabeth Frantz)
Dr Miller added there was a clear reason Hamas was not in favour of the proposal, although he noted it might agree depending on how the situation deteriorates in Gaza.
"It's front loaded in terms of hostages — if the deal went forward, the Israelis would get 10 living hostages, largely male soldiers, and half of the bodies of those who are sadly dead," he said.
"And there does not appear to be in any of the public reporting that I've seen any reciprocal Israeli commitments — the number of Palestinian prisoners, guarantees of humanitarian assistance, and any sort of commitment on an Israeli withdrawal."
Far-right members of Mr Netanyahu's government heralded the aid announcement as a step towards opening "the gates of hell" in Gaza — a threat that has repeatedly been made against Hamas if Israeli hostages were not returned.
Among them was the controversial Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said the decision did not go far enough.
"Now you have to open these gates as fast and deadly as possible on the cruel enemy, until the complete victory," he posted on social media platform X.
Red Cross warns ceasefire could unravel
Aid trucks were seen lining up at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Sunday, as the ban took hold.
Israeli media had reported its government believed the aid delivered over the last six weeks was enough to support the Palestinian population for five months.
The ABC has asked the Israeli prime minister's office and the agency that coordinates aid access in Gaza, COGAT, for such estimates — no response has been received.
What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal
Photo shows a crowd of young Arab men throwing their hands up in a street at night
The International Red Cross, which was responsible for delivering released hostages from Hamas's custody to Israeli authorities, added its voice to criticism of the aid ban.
"Any unravelling of the forward momentum created over the last six weeks risks plunging people back into despair," ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
"Every effort must be made to maintain the ceasefire so that lives are spared from hostilities, humanitarian aid enters Gaza, and more families are reunited."
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank said there were "grave risks and catastrophic consequences of this decision, particularly amid the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, exacerbated further during the holy month of Ramadan".Â
"The ministry unequivocally rejects the politicisation of humanitarian aid and its exploitation as a tool of blackmail, a tactic that would only deepen the suffering of more than two million Palestinians, who are already enduring immense hardship due to a campaign of devastation and forced displacement," the PA's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The ministry calls upon the international community and all relevant parties to uphold their responsibilities and take decisive action to compel the Israeli government to allow the unconditional entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"It further demands an end to the exploitation of Palestinian suffering and the weaponisation of starvation for political gain."