LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Israel has blocked all aid and supplies into Gaza. That includes food and medical supplies.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The move comes as the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas expired over the weekend. Israel has been pushing for a new plan outside of the original agreement, a plan which Hamas has rebuffed.
FADEL: For more, we're joined by NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv. Good morning, Kat.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Good morning.
FADEL: OK, so Israel says there's a new plan for the ceasefire. What do we know about where it came from, and what is being proposed?
LONSDORF: Israel announced this plan yesterday, calling it the Witkoff plan and saying that President Trump's Mid East envoy, Steve Witkoff, came up with it. It's unclear when Witkoff would have presented it. Israel says they've already agreed to it. The plan would extend the first phase of this ceasefire agreement by 50 days. On the first day of that extension, Israel wants Hamas to release half the remaining living hostages and half of the bodies of those who have been killed. And then, by the end of the extension, if an agreement to end the war permanently is reached, the remaining live and dead hostages would be released then. Israel reiterated that it has the right to go back to war if those negotiations are ineffective.
FADEL: And what are you hearing from Hamas? Are they on board with this plan?
LONSDORF: No. Hamas has essentially rebuffed the plan. In a statement, the militant group said that Israel is trying to evade the original ceasefire agreement. Just to be clear, this new plan is not the deal that both sides agreed to originally. I'll remind you of what that plan was. It had three phases. The second phase was supposed to be negotiated during the first phase, which didn't happen. Under the second phase, all living hostages are to be released, and Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza. And then Phase 3 would see all hostage bodies returned and the start of reconstruction of Gaza, which is expected to take years. Now Israel has introduced this whole new plan, the Witkoff plan. It's important to note that Hamas has not outright rejected it, but it isn't embracing it, either.
FADEL: So Hamas is not embracing it, as you point out. And in response, Israel has blocked all aid into Gaza. What does that mean exactly?
LONSDORF: We're trying to still figure out exactly what it means. But basically, Israel has stopped the flow of much-needed aid, you know, like food and medical supplies, into the enclave. Israel controls what gets in and out of Gaza. And it had allowed a big uptake of aid into Gaza in the past six weeks of the ceasefire. But aid and food are still desperately needed there. Aid groups have warned that this blocking of aid violates international law. Other Arab countries have condemned it. The block comes as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan just started over the weekend. Hamas called the decision to stop aid, quote, "cheap blackmail" in an attempt to get the group to agree to this new plan.
FADEL: OK, so does this mean the ceasefire is broken?
LONSDORF: For now, it still appears to be holding. You know, it's fragile, and talks are continuing. An official familiar with the details but not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that Israel is, quote, "giving it a few days to see where negotiations lead" and that Israel is not rushing to return to fighting in Gaza. Witkoff is expected in the region in the coming days. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech last night in English, where he thanked President Trump several times. In that speech, he said that Israel will, quote, "take further steps" if Hamas continues to hold the hostages. He ended saying that he knows America and President Trump have Israel's back to do so.
FADEL: That's NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv. Thank you, Kat.
LONSDORF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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