A delicate truce between Israel and Hamas hangs by a thread after Israel blocked humanitarian aid into Gaza, in response to Hamas rejecting a new Israeli proposal to extend the ceasefire without any commitment to end the war or fully withdraw troops.

The move was apparently part of a bid to force Hamas into accepting a temporary extension of a cease-fire and releasing more hostages.

Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday (March 2) as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene.