A delicate truce between Israel and Hamas hangs by a thread after Israel blocked humanitarian aid into Gaza, in response to Hamas rejecting a new Israeli proposal to extend the ceasefire without any commitment to end the war or fully withdraw troops.

On Monday afternoon, two friends, Khaled al-Shaer, 60, and Musa Qishta, 59, were walking toward their destroyed homes in the city of Rafah near the Egyptian border with Gaza. They had gone out for a stroll to pass the time until that day’s Ramadan fast ended at sunset.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, who has arrived in Cairo for Tuesday's emergency Arab summit on rebuilding Gaza, called for the "immediate" resumption of assistance. He urged "all parties to make every effort to prevent a return to hostilities".