Qatar, a key negotiator of the ceasefire, accused Israel of violating the deal. The U.N. relief chief said aid access must be allowed under international law.

Israel will stop the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza to pressure Palestinian militant group Hamas into accepting a temporary extension of the ceasefire agreement, officials said on Sunday, a day after the initial phase of the truce expired.

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.