International Red Cross says Gaza ceasefire must continue

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned of the consequences of an end to the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

"Every effort must be made to maintain the ceasefire so that lives are spared from hostilities, humanitarian aid enters Gaza, and more families are reunited," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger said in a statement published on Sunday.

"Any unravelling of the forward momentum created over the last six weeks risks plunging people back into despair," she added.

On Sunday, Israel said it has halted all deliveries into Gaza following the conclusion of the first phase of a ceasefire-for-hostage agreement with Hamas because it said the Palestinian group had refused to accept a US framework for the continuation of the talks.

Hamas has called the halt in humanitarian aid deliveries "unscrupulous blackmail, a war crime and a serious breach of the agreement."