Why Did Israel Stop Aid Into Gaza in March 2025?

Israel halted the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza on 2 March 2025, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that day, giving as its reason Hamas’s refusal of the Witkoff framework at the end of the first stage of the hostages deal. In remarks to the Government meeting the same morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated a second reason: that Hamas controlled all the supplies sent into the Strip. Both are the government’s own statement of why it acted. On the government’s own count that day, Hamas held 59 hostages, up to 24 of them alive.

Figure	What it counts	Who published it	Period
59	Hostages held by Hamas, the government’s own count	Prime Minister’s Office	2 March 2025
Up to 24	Of the 59, those alive; a ceiling, not an exact figure	Prime Minister’s Office	2 March 2025
At least 35	Of the 59, those deceased; a floor, not an exact figure	Prime Minister’s Office	2 March 2025
38	Hostages returned in the first stage of the deal, 30 living and 8 deceased, the government’s own tally	Prime Minister’s Office	First stage of the January 2025 deal, to 2 March 2025
196	Hostages returned since the start of the war, cumulative and including the 38	Prime Minister’s Office	Start of the war to 2 March 2025
More than 25,200	Trucks of food, water, medicine and shelter equipment entering Gaza as part of the hostage release deal; COGAT’s own count, a floor	COGAT	From 19 January 2025

The 2 March 2025 announcement halted all goods entering Gaza

The Prime Minister’s Office stated in its Announcement of 2 March 2025 that the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza would stop from that morning. The decision is recorded as the Prime Minister’s, and the Announcement gives its ground in the same sentence, as the government’s own statement of its reasons. The full sentence reads:

“With the conclusion of the first stage of the hostages deal and in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel has agreed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, the entry of all goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip will be halted.”

• Date: the morning of 2 March 2025, a Sunday, announced on the day.
• Decided by: the Prime Minister, in the Announcement’s words.
• Scope: “all goods and supplies”, the Announcement’s term. The remarks the same morning say “goods and supplies”.
• Preceding entries: more than 25,200 trucks of food, water, medicine and shelter equipment entered Gaza from 19 January 2025, as part of the hostage release deal. That is COGAT’s own count of its own coordination activity, and it is a floor. Its truck counts measure trucks, not tonnage.

Netanyahu’s first stated reason was Hamas rejecting the Witkoff framework

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated the first reason at the start of the Government meeting on 2 March 2025: Hamas’s rejection of the Witkoff framework at the end of the deal’s first stage. This is the government’s own statement of why it acted. He described the framework as a temporary ceasefire for Ramadan and Passover, which Israel stated it had adopted.

The government’s wording, by document:

• The Announcement: the halt came “in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel has agreed.”
• The remarks: “Upon the conclusion of the first stage, and in light of Hamas’s rejection of the Witkoff framework, we decided” at the previous night’s discussion “that as of this morning, the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza will be prevented.”
• The remarks, on the framework itself: “Israel adopts the framework of President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire for the Ramadan and Passover period.”

The ceasefire framework the Cabinet later adopted is a separate instrument of October 2025 and is not the framework named here.

Israel counted 59 hostages held, up to 24 alive

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on 2 March 2025 that “Hamas is currently holding 59 hostages: Up to 24 are alive and at least 35 are deceased.” The count is the government’s own and dated that day. The 24 is a ceiling and the 35 is a floor, and the government published them that way.

The remarks set the framework’s hostage term beside the government’s tally of the first stage:

• The framework, in the Prime Minister’s words: “on the first day of his framework half of the hostages will be released in one phase.”
• The first stage: “We freed 30 living hostages and brought home eight deceased hostages.”
• The cumulative tally: “As of today, we have returned 196 hostages,” counted since the start of the war.
• The warning, in the Announcement: “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences.”

Netanyahu’s second stated reason was Hamas control of all supplies

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated the second reason in his remarks to the Government meeting on 2 March 2025, and it is the government’s own stated position, in his own words. It appears in the remarks and not in the Announcement, which gives one reason. The passage reads:

“Hamas currently controls all of the supplies and goods that are being sent to the Gaza Strip. It is abusing the Gazan population that is trying to receive the aid, it is shooting at them, and is turning the humanitarian aid into a budget for terrorism directed against us.”

The passage makes three statements, each the Prime Minister’s:

• Control: that Hamas “currently controls all of the supplies and goods” sent into the Strip.
• Treatment of recipients: that Hamas is “abusing the Gazan population that is trying to receive the aid” and “shooting at them”.
• Use of the aid: that Hamas is “turning the humanitarian aid into a budget for terrorism directed against us.”

The announcement gives no figure for aid Hamas controlled

The Prime Minister’s Office published no quantity of aid stated as controlled or diverted, in either the Announcement or the remarks of 2 March 2025. Neither document, both the government’s own statement of its reasons, gives an end date for the halt. COGAT’s own published account counts trucks entering Gaza and gives no figure for diversion.

What the two government documents of 2 March 2025 do not contain:

• A quantity of aid, in trucks, tons or share, stated as controlled or diverted by Hamas.
• An end date for the halt, or a condition for lifting it beyond the warning quoted above.
• A list of the goods covered, beyond “all goods and supplies”.

COGAT’s page counts over 10,000 trucks entering after “the reopening in March”, on its own count of its own coordination activity, and does not tie that reopening to the 2 March 2025 halt. What Israel publishes on limits to aid entry more generally is a separate question.

Both stated reasons are the government’s own

• The reasons for the halt are the Israeli government’s own statement of why it acted, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a translation of the Prime Minister’s Hebrew remarks and Announcement.
• The Announcement gives one reason, Hamas’s refusal of the Witkoff framework; the remarks add the second, Hamas’s control of supplies.
• The hostage counts are the government’s own, dated 2 March 2025. Up to 24 alive is a ceiling and at least 35 deceased is a floor; neither may be restated as exact or carried past that date.
• The 196 already includes the 38 of the first stage, and the two may not be added.
• The truck counts are COGAT’s own count of its own coordination activity, written as floors. A truck count is not a tonnage, and the 25,200 from 19 January 2025 sits inside COGAT’s count since the start of the war and may not be added to it.

Questions readers ask

When did Israel stop goods entering Gaza in 2025?

The Prime Minister’s Office announced on 2 March 2025 that the entry of all goods and supplies would stop “as of this morning”. The halt took effect that day.

Did the halt cover food, medicine and fuel?

The Prime Minister’s Office stated that the halt covered “all goods and supplies” entering the Gaza Strip. The Announcement lists no categories beyond that phrase.

Who made the decision?

The Prime Minister’s Office stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has decided” on the halt. The remarks say “we decided” at a discussion the previous night.

What was the Witkoff framework?

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that it was a framework from President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, “for a temporary ceasefire for the Ramadan and Passover period.” He stated that Israel adopted it.

What did the framework say about hostages?

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that “on the first day of his framework half of the hostages will be released in one phase.” That is the framework’s term as the Prime Minister described it.

How many hostages did Israel say Hamas held in March 2025?

The Prime Minister’s Office recorded 59 hostages held on 2 March 2025, on the government’s own count. Up to 24 were alive and at least 35 deceased, as bounds.

How many hostages came home in the first stage of the deal?

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on 2 March 2025 that 30 living hostages were freed and 8 deceased hostages brought home in the first stage, 38 in all, on the government’s own tally.

How many hostages had Israel returned by 2 March 2025?

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that 196 hostages had been returned since the start of the war, as at 2 March 2025. The 196 includes the 38 of the first stage.

What did Netanyahu say Hamas was doing with the aid?

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that Hamas “currently controls all of the supplies and goods” sent to Gaza and is “turning the humanitarian aid into a budget for terrorism directed against us.” This is the government’s stated position, in his words.

Did Israel give an end date for the halt?

The Prime Minister’s Office published no end date in the Announcement or the remarks of 2 March 2025. The Announcement warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas persisted in its refusal.

How many aid trucks entered Gaza during the first stage?

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) counted more than 25,200 trucks of food, water, medicine and shelter equipment entering from 19 January 2025, as part of the hostage release deal. The figure is COGAT’s own count, and a floor.

How much of the aid entering Gaza was food?

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) states that close to 80% of the aid that entered since the start of the war was food, on its own count. Its total for that period is over 100,000 trucks.

Did Israel publish a figure for aid taken by Hamas?

The Prime Minister’s Office published no quantity of aid stated as controlled or diverted on 2 March 2025. COGAT’s own published account counts trucks entering and gives no diversion figure.

Where were the statements published in English?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published both the remarks and the Announcement on gov.il, translated from Hebrew. Both are dated 2 March 2025.

Sources

• Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Humanitarian Efforts in the Gaza Strip. Response to reporting on humanitarian conditions, 8 pages, English. gov.il. Official or primary record, a party’s own count.
• Prime Minister’s Office of Israel, 2025. PM Netanyahu’s remarks at the start of the Government meeting, 2 March 2025, with the same-day Prime Minister’s Office Announcement. Published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, translated from Hebrew. https://www.gov.il/en/pages/pm-netanyahu-s-remarks-at-the-start-of-the-government-meeting-2-mar-2025 and https://www.gov.il/en/pages/spoke-parta020325. Official or primary record, a party’s own statement of its reasons.