When Israel locked a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza, the deal was laid out in three phases. Phase one, a six-week course in which Hamas would free hostages in return for Israel freeing Palestinians imprisoned in its jails, concluded on March 1.

The unsteady deal has carried out for the full six weeks – just. During the exchange, Hamas threatened to suspend the exchange of hostages when it stated Israel was violating the duration of the deal. The Netanyahu government reacted with US support, by threatening to terminate the ceasefire in mid-February, stating that Hamas was not living up to its part of the agreement.

Releases of hostages have continued, although Israelis have been surprised and outraged at the state of some of the hostages after 17 months in detention. Hamas has also taken benefit of the world’s eye during hostage releases to set large caravans of its fully armed soldiers.

On March 1, as phase one of the deal was due to conclude, Benjamin Netanyahu called a full blocking of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza.

What prompted Israel to halt humanitarian aid to Gaza?

The Netanyahu government’s blockade of humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s population is the element of a plan to bypass a phase two of the ceasefire, while placing pressure on Hamas to expand phase one.

That would permit the Israeli administration to follow the return of the rest of the 59 hostages, alive or deceased, held by Hamas while evading the requirements of stage two – in particular, the departure of the Israeli military from Gaza and the rehabilitation of a Palestinian government in Gaza.

Obviously, those who will bear the expense are more than 2.2 million Gazans, about 90% of whom have been forced to flee amid 17 months of mass slaying. But Israel’s leaders are counting on that, pushing little concern, or at least effective action, by the international community.

Didn’t a timetable dictate the ceasefire deal?

Stage one of the deal only stipulated that talks for a phase two to start within 14 days of enactment, which would have been around the start of February.

While the Netanyahu administration reportedly sent mediators to Qatar without the power to examine phase two, only to confirm that hostage releases persisted. The limitation of its collaboration has been sending delegates to Egypt and consulting with Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, with current debates suggesting little prospect of settling on phase two.