A senior Hamas official announced that the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza was the “minimum requirement” to restart cease-fire and hostage deal talks.
“The minimum requirement for a conducive and constructive negotiation environment is compelling (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s government to open the crossings and allow the entry of humanitarian aid,” Basem Naim said in a statement.
“The U.S. administration, under President Trump, has the capacity to enforce this humanitarian obligation.”
For more than two months, the Israeli military has barred aid supplies from entering the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation has reached catastrophic proportions.
There is a lack of food, drinking water, medicine and everyday necessities, prompting international aid organizations to urgently warn of a growing famine.
The Israeli army resumed its assaults on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 2,701 people and injured 7,432 others, shattering a cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement that began in January.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
