Israel kills two Palestinians in Gaza amid impasse over ceasefire

Israeli fire kills two in Gaza, ceasefire in jeopardy as Israel imposes blockade, Hamas demands permanent withdrawal.

Israeli fire killed at least two persons in Rafah and injured three others in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, raising fears among Palestinians that the ceasefire could collapse altogether after Israel imposed a total blockade on the shattered enclave.

A first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas that began in January ended over the weekend with no agreement on what will happen next.

Hamas says an agreed second phase must now begin, leading to a permanent Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. Israel has instead offered a temporary extension into April, with Hamas to release more hostages in return for Palestinian detainees, without immediate talks on Gaza's future.

Later on Monday, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Israel's demand to extend the first phase of the ceasefire was pushing things back to "square zero".

"The mediators and guarantors bear full responsibility for preventing (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu from sabotaging all efforts made to reach the agreement and for protecting the agreement from collapsing," said Hamdan in a news conference.

Two Israeli government officials said mediators had asked Israel for a few more days to resolve the standoff.

Israel raised the stakes on Sunday by imposing a total blockade on all supplies, including food and fuel, to sustain the 2.3 million Gazans living among the ruins after the 15-month conflict.