Israeli fire kills two Palestinians in Gaza amid impasse over ceasefire deal

CAIRO - Israeli fire killed at least two people in Rafah and injured three others in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, raising fear among Palestinians that the ceasefire could collapse altogether after Israel imposed a total blockade on the shattered enclave.

A first phase of a ceasefire that began in January ended over the weekend with no agreement on what will happen next.

Hamas militants say an agreed second phase must now begin, leading to a permanent Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war.

Israel has instead offered a temporary extension into April, with Hamas to release more hostages in return for Palestinian detainees, without immediate talks on Gaza’s future.

Two Israeli government officials said mediators had asked Israel for a few more days to resolve the standoff over the ceasefire.

Israel raised the stakes on March 2 by imposing a total blockade on all supplies, including food and fuel, to sustain the 2.3 million Gazans living among the ruins.

Hundreds of lorries carrying supplies were backed up in Egypt, denied permission to enter. Gaza residents said shops had been swiftly emptied of all supplies, and the price of a sack of flour had more than doubled overnight.

“Where will our food come from?” said Mr Salah al-Hajj Hassan, a resident in Jabalia, on Gaza’s northern edge where families have returned to destroyed homes to live in the rubble.

“We are dying, and we don’t want war or the alarm bells of displacement or the alarm bells of starving our children.”

Tanks firing

Residents of the enclave said Israeli tanks stationed near the eastern and southern