Israeli forces have clashed with Hamas in a new sign of pressure on a peace deal in Gaza, blocking the flow of food and medical supplies to Palestinians while the two sides blame each other for flouting a ceasefire.
The Israel Defence Forces launched airstrikes and artillery fire against militants on Sunday in the southern part of the war-torn territory near the Rafah crossing into Egypt, saying it was responding to being fired upon.
Israel said Hamas fighters had fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire at the soldiers in an area that was controlled by Israeli under the terms of the ceasefire, and it vowed to fire back if the attacks continued.
But Hamas said the Israeli forces had repeatedly violated the ceasefire and claimed, without verification by any other source, that 46 people had been killed in recent days.
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Israel said it would suspend the delivery of all humanitarian aid into Gaza until further notice.
Read the full report by Europe correspondent David Crowe.
