As Israel and Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement, Israel says it wants to maintain troops in a southern corridor of the Gaza Strip — a condition that could derail the talks.

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.

"The situation is very catastrophic because the electricity will abruptly go off within 24 hours," one doctor warned.

The European Union and Israel have agreed on a deal to allow more food, fuel and other vital aid into the starvation-gripped Gaza Strip, with an E.U. presence at border crossings, European and Israeli officials said Thursday.

Nasser hospital in Khan Younis has a critical shortage of fuel and had to stop admitting patients after Israeli tanks advanced nearby on Thursday.

Medical workers are forced to make life-or-death decisions for patients whose injuries would be treatable if they had the supplies, according to a new report.

The European Union is seeking ways to put pressure on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, its top diplomat said, as member states weighed action against Israel over what they see as potential human rights violations.

Israel’s defense minister said he told the military to advance plans for what he called a “humanitarian city” built on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza, according to reports in Israeli media.

Israeli proposal aims to relocate hundreds of thousands under ‘humanitarian’ cover, drawing comparisons to forced transfers and detention camps - Anadolu Ajansı