Israel has introduced what it said was a new U.S. ceasefire plan and is trying to force Hamas to accept it by imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip

Washington has put forward an alternative ceasefire proposal, which would allow captives to be exchanged without the Israeli army having to leave Gazan territory. Hamas refused and negotiations stalled.

Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the ceasefire agreement hours after its first phase ended. It called the decision to cut off aid “cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack” on the truce, which took hold in January after over a year of negotiations. Both sides stopped short of saying the ceasefire had ended.