Israel has slashed humanitarian aid into Gaza by half and slammed shut the vital Rafah crossing, citing Hamas delays in returning hostage remains. The move, announced Tuesday, threatens to plunge the war-ravaged enclave deeper into famine just days after a U.S.-brokered truce took hold, sparking outrage from aid groups and UN officials.

Israel's military arm, COGAT, informed the United Nations it would permit only 300 aid trucks daily starting Wednesday—down from the promised 600—while banning all fuel and gas except for essential infrastructure. Olga Cherevko, OCHA spokesperson in Gaza, confirmed receipt of the directive, warning it could cripple relief efforts amid widespread hunger. Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud, on the ground in Gaza City, called the allowance "not nearly enough," adding, "Three hundred is not going to change anything" for the starving population.

The Rafah crossing, Gaza's main gateway to Egypt, was set to reopen Wednesday for a massive aid surge but will stay locked down indefinitely. Humanitarian leaders decried the decision as a ceasefire violation. UNICEF's Ricardo Pires noted 1,370 trucks are poised at the border, but stressed, "We need at least 600 a day" to tackle the devastation. WHO's Tarik Jasarevic echoed the plea: "The pressure on hospitals won't ease overnight—we must flood in medical supplies now."

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This escalation follows deadly strikes where Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians across Gaza. Medical sources reported six deaths in Gaza City, including five in Shujayea neighborhood per al-Ahli Arab Hospital, and three in Khan Younis. The military claimed it fired on "threats" approaching troops in the north. These incidents, just four days into the ceasefire, heighten fears the truce—Phase One of President Donald Trump's peace blueprint—could unravel.

The aid curbs stem directly from a hostage dispute. Under the deal, Hamas released 20 living Israeli captives and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners Monday, with 154 exiled to Egypt. But the group handed over only four of 28 promised remains initially, blaming rubble-strewn sites and unknown locations for delays. Tuesday saw four more coffins transferred via Red Cross to Israel for forensics, identifying victims like Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz. Still, 20 bodies remain unrecovered, prompting Israel's retaliation.

Hamas insists it's working with Egyptian teams to locate the rest amid Gaza's ruins, but Israel accuses deliberate stalling. Trump's Truth Social post blasted: "THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!" He later warned Hamas to disarm or face swift, possibly violent consequences. Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, from UN headquarters, framed it starkly: "Israel is weaponizing aid restrictions to pressure Hamas on the bodies."

Palestinian authorities report 67,913 killed and 170,134 wounded since October 2023, with thousands more buried under debris. Israel's losses from the October 7 Hamas assault stand at 1,139 dead, plus over 200 captives initially. With 190,000 metric tons of UN aid stockpiled and winter looming, experts fear prolonged closures could spark catastrophe. As Trump pushes for Phase Two—including full withdrawals and Hamas disarmament—the enclave's 2.3 million residents teeter on the brink, their fragile hope for peace fading fast.

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