Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized the importance of completing the second phase of the ceasefire to bring an end to the conflict.

However, Hamas has been reluctant to agree, and during the lull in hostilities, it has worked to reestablish its dominance in the Gaza Strip.

The organization has expressed a need for both time and technical support to retrieve bodies that it claims are still trapped beneath the debris in Gaza.

In a subsequent move, Netanyahu’s office announced that the Rafah border crossing would remain closed indefinitely.

Shortly after, however, Netanyahu’s office said he had “directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice”.

Around 560 metric tons of food had entered Gaza per day on average since the truce, but this was still well below the scale of need, according to the UN World Food Programme.

11 Palestinians killed in Israeli fire

At Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital, the victims were laid out in white shrouds as their relatives mourned.