Israel’s cutoff of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza’s 2 million people has sent prices soaring and humanitarian groups into overdrive as they try to distribute dwindling stocks to the most vulnerable.

The illegal move from the Israeli government signals the halting of the start of the ceasefire’s second phase, they said.

The announcement signaled a breakdown in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, the first phase of which expired Saturday with no clear next steps.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel has blocked the entry of all food into Gaza, with the aim of starving the population into submission and ethnically cleansing the enclave.

Israel’s cutoff of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza’s 2 million people has sent prices soaring and humanitarian groups into overdrive

As a tenuous ceasefire verges on collapse, Israel says it will take direct control of all humanitarian aid entering and distributed inside Gaza, according to agencies briefed on the plan.

The aid lifeline for Umm Muhammad and hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians is now under existential threat as Israel lays siege to Gaza once again.

After more than 16 months of war, Gaza’s population is entirely dependent on trucked-in food and other aid. Most are displaced from their homes, and many need shelter. Fuel is needed to keep hospitals,