Mughrabi and Jaidaa TahaJERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene.

Egypt has condemned Israel’s decision to impose a complete siege on the Gaza Strip, accusing it of using “starvation as a weapon.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday called for the immediate implementation of the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

Israel wants to extend the first phase of the deal with Hamas, rather than begin negotiations over the more politically fraught second stage.