Arab states, the United Nations and rights groups issued condemnations Sunday of Israel’s decision to halt the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, though the US was supportive, after the first phase of Israel’s hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas lapsed with the terror group yet to commit to freeing any more of its captives.

Israel said Sunday it had stopped allowing any new aid to flow into the Strip, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar saying Jerusalem was “implementing a principle of ‘no free meals'” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explaining that Hamas “steals the supplies and prevents the people of Gaza from getting them.”

According to Hebrew media reports, Israel believes that enough aid is already in Gaza to last the enclave several months.

Announcing the halt to the aid, Israel called for an extension of the deal’s now-expired first phase through the end of Passover on April 19.

According to this plan — which the US said it would support, though it did not confirm Netanyahu’s contention that it was originally presented by the White House — half of the remaining hostages, living and dead, would be released on the first day of the extended ceasefire, and the remaining captives would be released at the end of the period if a permanent ceasefire is reached.

“Israel has negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists. We will support their decision on next steps, given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes, in a statement.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi rejected the extended-phase-one proposal on Sunday, telling Qatari network Al Jazeera that the Palestinian terror group would only release the remaining Israeli hostages under the terms of the already agreed-upon phased deal.

Mardawi’s comments drew a quick rebuke from the European Union, which condemned Hamas for rejecting the proposal.

In a statement from its External Action Service, however, the EU also warned that Israel’s decision to keep aid from entering Gaza “could potentially result in humanitarian consequences” — though it avoided directly condemning Israel.

The EU called for a speedy return to talks on the ceasefire’s second phase, and for “full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid at scale for Palestinians in need and for allowing and facilitating humanitarian workers and international organizations to operate effectively and safely inside Gaza.”

Egypt, a key mediator of the deal and of continued talks between the sides, denounced Israel’s move on Sunday to stop aid into Gaza as a “flagrant violation” of the agreement, and accused Israel of using starvation as “a weapon against the Palestinian people.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty earlier said there was “no alternative to the faithful and full implementation by all parties of what was signed [in] January.” He said progress was possible “if goodwill and political will are present.”

Egypt was set to host a meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Monday, ahead of a Tuesday summit where Arab leaders were due to discuss a reconstruction plan for Gaza.

The Saudi foreign ministry said Sunday that Israel’s decision “to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and its use as a tool of blackmail and collective punishment… is a flagrant violation of international law and a direct violation of the rules of international humanitarian law.”

The statement, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, also urged the international community to “stop these serious Israeli violations.”

Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Sufyan Qudah said in a statement that “the Israeli government’s decision… threatens to reignite the situation in the Strip,” adding that Israel must “stop using starvation as a weapon against innocent Palestinians who are under siege, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.”

The charges by Arab countries that Israel is using “starvation as a weapon” echoed an accusation leveled repeatedly at the Jewish state since the war with Hamas began on October 7, 2023, when the group led thousands of terrorists to invade southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of using starvation as a weapon of war — charges that Israel, as well as the US, strenuously reject, and have denounced the court for leveling.

Israel maintains that all its warfare is conducted in accordance with international law, pointing to efforts it makes to avoid civilian casualties.

A recent analysis, by a pro-Israel group, of the aid flow into the Strip also found that the quantity of food entering the enclave throughout the war has been too high for famine to be a plausible scenario, even according to figures endorsed by those levying the accusations at Israel.

The United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said Sunday: “International humanitarian law is clear: We must be allowed access to deliver vital lifesaving aid.”

In Israel, the Gisha human rights organization and four other left-wing nonprofits filed a motion to the High Court of Justice calling for an interim order banning the government from cutting off the supply of aid.

Gisha argued that halting the provision of aid is illegal “even if [Israel] claims that the existing aid is sufficient,” adding that recent media reports that six babies in Gaza died of hypothermia in February proved the claim to be false anyway.

“According to humanitarian law, there is an obligation to protect the civilian population and allow the free passage of humanitarian aid to such a population,” wrote Gisha in its petition, saying the supply cannot be “made conditional.”

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 59 hostages, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces.

Under the ceasefire outline agreed to by Israel and Hamas on January 19, the remaining living hostages were to be released during the second stage of the deal, during which the IDF would complete a full withdrawal from Gaza. A third stage is also planned, during which the bodies of hostages held by Gazan terror groups would be released, the war would end, and the reconstruction of Gaza would begin.

Talks on the second phase were meant to begin on day 16 of the 42-day first phase which ended on Saturday night, but Israel has not engaged in indirect talks with Hamas on the topic.

Senior Israeli officials have said in recent days that the military is preparing for the option of the war resuming.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel soon — though likely not until late this coming week or next, according to an Israeli official speaking to The Times of Israel. The Ynet news site reported early Sunday, without citing sources, that Jerusalem would likely hold off on renewing the fighting until the visit.