Maldives condemns Israel’s decision to block Gaza aid

The Maldives has strongly condemned Israel’s decision to halt aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, calling it a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel blocked the entry of aid shipments to Gaza on Sunday, hours after the first phase of its ceasefire deal with the Palestinian group Hamas expired, raising fears of hunger and more hardships during the holy month of Ramadan that began over the weekend.

In a statement on Monday, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry criticized Israel’s move to block food, medicine and fuel into the war-ravaged Gaza strip, calling it “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”

“The Maldives reiterates its call on the international community to put an end to these grave violations by Israel, activate international accountability mechanisms, and ensure the safe, continuous, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip,” reads the statement.

The Maldives also reaffirmed its steadfast support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and stressed that a just and lasting resolution to the conflict can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Hamas on Monday accused Israel of trying to derail the next phase of ceasefire talks and called Israel’s decision to cut off aid “a war crime and a blatant attack” on a truce that took a year of negotiations before taking hold on January 19.

On Sunday, Israel said it would back a new proposal by the United States that calls for extending the ceasefire through Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday, which ends on April 20.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under that proposal, Hamas would release half the captives on the first day and the rest when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.

But Hamas rejected the proposal, saying it would only release captives according to the original terms of the agreement, which stipulated that Israeli forces would permanently withdraw from Gaza and bring an end to the war.

The ceasefire deal halted Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed more than 48,380 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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.