Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday Israel was ready to proceed to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, as long as Hamas was ready to release more of the 59 hostages it is still holding.

The Netanyahu government’s blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s population is part of scheme to avoid phase two of the ceasefire

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire ends on Saturday and negotiations on phase two have barely begun.

New tensions between Israel and Hamas are raising doubts about prospects for second phase of ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.

For Palestinians observing Ramadan in Gaza, the Muslim holy month started this year under a fragile ceasefire agreement that paused more than 15 months of the Israel-Hamas war

This Ramadan is nothing like the ones before,” said one resident as the holy fasting month for Muslims began. “The war has drained it of meaning.”

Palestinians continue traditional Ramadan celebrations in the southern Gaza Strip to a backdrop of devastation from Israeli attacks in the Israel-Hamas war. The big picture: While observed last year in the thick of the humanitarian crisis,