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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday thanked US President Donald Trump for sending munitions held up by the previous administration, which would help "finish the job against Iran's terror axis".

"Donald Trump is the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House," Netanyahu said in a video statement in English.

"He's shown it by sending us all the munitions that were being held up. This way he is giving Israel the tools we need to finish the job against Iran's terror axis".

The Israeli leader made similar remarks last month, at a news conference with visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying Israel would "finish the job" against Iran with support from the United States.

The forces of Syria's new authorities deployed Sunday in a Damascus suburb following deadly clashes with Druze gunmen, state media said, amid tensions after Israeli demands to protect the minority group.

On Sunday local security chief Hossam Tahhan said that "our forces have begun deploying" in Jaramana to end the "chaos and illegal checkpoints by outlaw groups," according to a statement on official news agency SANA.

He vowed to arrest those involved in Friday's killing of a defence ministry employee at a checkpoint, saying the culprits had "refused" to hand themselves in. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said another person was killed in clashes on Saturday and nine more wounded.

The Red Cross said Sunday it was "vital that a ceasefire and aid delivery to Gaza is maintained" following Israel's decision to stop humanitarian aid from entering the Palestinian Territory.

"It is vital that a ceasefire and aid delivery to Gaza is maintained to meet the humanitarian needs of safety, shelter, healthcare, food and psychological support while a sustainable solution for long-lasting peace is found," Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on X.

Mediator Qatar on Sunday accused Israel of violating a ceasefire deal in Gaza by halting aid to the Palestinian territory, as talks to continue the truce stalled.

"Qatar strongly condemns the decision of the Israeli occupation government to stop bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and considers it a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, (and) international humanitarian law," the Gulf state's foreign ministry said in a statement adding its "rejection of the use of food as a weapon of war".

The European Union said Sunday it condemned what it called Hamas' refusal to accept the extension of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, adding Israel's subsequent aid block "risked humanitarian consequences".

"The EU calls for a rapid resumption of negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire, and expresses its strong support to the mediators," Anouar El Anouni, the spokesperson for EU foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement.

Jordan on Sunday condemned Israel's decision to stop humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, warning that it could reignite the fighting largely halted since a truce went into effect six weeks ago.

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".

Hamas will not agree to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal as requested by Israel, a senior Hamas official said Sunday.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mahmoud Mardawi said Hamas would only release the remaining Israeli captives under the terms of the already agreed-upon phased deal.

Saudi Arabia said Sunday that Israel halting the entry of aid into Gaza is "collective punishment".

UN chief Antonio Guterres called on Sunday for Israel to end its suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza "immediately".

"The Secretary-General urges all parties to make every effort to prevent a return to hostilities in Gaza. He calls for humanitarian aid to flow back into Gaza immediately and for the release of all hostages," said a statement from the UN posted on X.

 Argentina's President Javier Milei will travel to Israel on 23 March to strengthen ties between the two nations, the Argentinian presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni told Reuters on Sunday.

(Reuters)

UK Politician Jeremy Corbyn has condemned Israel's decision to block aid entry into Gaza, and called for the UK to implement sanctions and international law.

"There is no other way of putting it: this is a resumption of genocide - and our government is complicit," he said in a post on X.

A prominent Druze leader in Lebanon said Sunday that he will soon visit Syria to meet its interim leader as tensions simmer between members of the minority group, the war-torn country's interim government, and Israel.

"The free Syrians must be cautious of the plots of Israel," veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said at a news conference Sunday, accusing Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of creating sectarian division and chaos in the country. "In Syria there is a plot for sabotage. There is a plot for sabotage in the region and for the Arabs' national security."

The United Nations humanitarian agency's head condemned on Sunday Israel's suspension of vital aid into Gaza, which he said was contrary to international law.

"Israel's decision to halt aid into Gaza is alarming. International humanitarian law is clear: We must be allowed access to deliver vital lifesaving aid," OCHA head Thomas Fletcher wrote on X.

Israeli police said on Sunday a resident of the southern city of Beersheba was arrested for allegedly initiating contact with Iranian intelligence and offering to sell sensitive information including claims of access to a nuclear research centre.

(Reuters)

Doctors without Borders (MSF) has issued a statement that "strongly denounces" Israel's decision to block aid entry into Gaza.

"Regardless of negotiations between warring parties, people in Gaza still need an immediate and massive scale-up of humanitarian supplies," the statement read.

MSF emergency coordinator Caroline Seguin said that "Israel is once again blocking an entire population from receiving aid, using it as a bargaining chip. This is unacceptable, outrageous, and will have devastating consequences." 

"The news has created uncertainty and fear, causing food prices to spike," she added.

Key mediator Egypt condemns Israel's closure of Gaza and accuses it of using "starvation as a weapon".

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday called for the total compliance of the Gaza ceasefire deal, urging both Israel and Hamas to honour their commitments.

"There is no alternative to the faithful and full implementation by all parties of what was signed last January," Abdelatty said at a news conference in Cairo with the EU commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica.

He also urged the European Union to exert "maximum pressure on the parties, especially the Israeli party, regarding commitment to the ceasefire agreement".

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on Israel and Hamas to maintain their ceasefire in Gaza to prevent the conflict-weary region from sinking back into despair.

"The ceasefire agreement has saved countless lives and offered a beacon of hope amid unimaginable suffering. Any unravelling of the forward momentum created over the last six weeks risks plunging people back into despair," it said in a statement, adding the truce was "essential."

The statement came as Israel said it was suspending the entry of supplies into Gaza and as deadly attacks were reported in the territory after Israel and Hamas hit an impasse of how to proceed further.

Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said Sunday that Israel bore responsibility for "sabotaging" the ceasefire in Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel was suspending the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.

"We, in the Islamic Jihad Movement and the resistance factions, reaffirm our commitment to the ceasefire based on the three phases, and we will continue to abide by what was agreed upon," the group said in a statement. "The occupation is the one responsible for the consequences of sabotaging this."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Sunday the Egyptian Gaza reconstruction plan, that ensures Palestinians remain in their land, is ready and will be presented to the emergency Arab summit on March 4.

(Reuters)

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi has threatened to restart attacks on Israel if it goes back to war in Gaza, according to Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar, who quoted al-Houthi as saying a return to war "will be accompanied by the return of the entire enemy entity under fire." 

The Israeli military said Sunday that it struck suspects planting an "explosive device" in northern Gaza as the first phase of a fragile ceasefire with Hamas ended.

"Earlier today (Sunday), several suspects were identified operating near [military] forces in the northern Gaza Strip and planted an explosive device in the area. An Air Force aircraft targeted the suspects to remove the threat," the military said in a statement.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health is reporting that four people were killed and give wounded on Sunday morning in Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Gaza's civil defence agency reported Israeli artillery shelling and tank fire near the southern city of Khan Yunis on Sunday as the two sides disagreed on how to prolong a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

"Artillery shelling and gunfire from Israeli tanks targeted the border areas of Abasan al-Kabira town, east of Khan Yunis city, in the southern Gaza Strip," the agency said in a statement. Approached for comment, the Israeli army said it was looking into the matter.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called repeated warnings of the risk of famine in Gaza "a lie" after his government suspended aid deliveries over a disagreement on the extension of the ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

"With regards to this starvation [claim], that was a lie during all this war. That was a lie," Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem, in response to a question about what would happen if people began to starve.

UNRWA has announced that it has reopened three health centres in Gaza, increasing the spread of care across nine facilities in the enclave.

The agency announced that so far its teams have delivered 300,000 consultations, supported 19,000 high-risk pregnant and post-natal women, treated 11,000 dental patients and provided physiotherapy to 5,500 people. 

"Access to healthcare is essential. UNRWA remains committed to those in need," the agency said.

Despite the challenges, UNRWA continues to provide health services in .
Three health centres have reopened, with care now available in a total of nine locations.

So far, UNRWA teams have:
➡️delivered 300,000 consultations
➡️supported 19,000 high-risk pregnant and post-natal…

— UNRWA (@UNRWA)

Hamas said Israel's decision on Sunday to suspend goods shipments into Gaza affects the ceasefire negotiation track, adding that they do not respond to pressure.

"This decision complicates matters and affects the negotiation process, and Hamas doesn't respond to pressures," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

(Reuters)

Extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of a far-right party crucial to keeping the government in power, welcomed a decision to suspend humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday, calling for a renewed fight "until total victory" against Hamas.

"The decision... to completely stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas is destroyed or completely surrenders and all our hostages are freed is an important step in the right direction," he wrote on Telegram, calling to "open (the) gates (of hell) as quickly and violently as possible against the merciless enemy, until total victory".

Hamas on Sunday slammed Israel's suspension of supplies and aid entering Gaza, describing it as a "war crime" and a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "decision to suspend humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant coup against the (ceasefire) agreement", the group said in a statement.