Israel faced sharp criticism as it stopped the entry of all food and other supplies into Gaza on Sunday and warned of “additional consequences” for Hamas if a fragile ceasefire isn't extended. Mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of violating humanitarian law by using starvation as a weapon.

The European Union has condemned what it called Hamas’s ­refusal to accept an extension of the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement, adding that Israel’s subsequent aid blockade “risked humanitarian consequences”.