Gaza border remains shut as Israel warns of a 'long war'

With a diplomatic breakthrough increasingly uncertain, the Gaza Strip faces an intensifying humanitarian crisis as more than half a million people fled their homes for the enclave's south amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and shortages of critical supplies like water and fuel. Both Israel and Hamas dismissed talk that they had agreed to a ceasefire - humanitarian or otherwise.Also See: Israel Hamas War News Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas that rules Gaza, after the Oct. 7 Hamas assault that killed over 1,400 Israelis. It has put Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total blockade and pounded it with unprecedented air strikes, and is widely expected to launch a ground assault. Gaza authorities say at least 2,750 people have been killed there, including mainly civilians. Power is out, sanitary water is scarce, and the last fuel for emergency generators could be used up within a day. In a speech to parliament, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israelis should prepare for a long battle, and delivered a warning to Tehran and Hezbollah in which he referred to the 2006 war, which displaced a million Lebanese. " I have a message for Iran and Hezbollah, don't test us in the north. Don't make the same mistake you once made. Because today the price you will pay will be much heavier." The 10 days of strikes so far have failed to eliminate Hamas' capability to fire rockets into Israel, where warning sirens sounded. Hamas said it fired a barrage at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.Diplomatic efforts have concentrated on getting aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the sole route out that is not controlled by Israel. Egypt said Israel was not cooperating, leaving hundreds of tonnes of supplies stuck. Cairo says the Rafah crossing is not officially closed but is inoperable due to Israeli strikes on the Gaza side. Early on Monday, two Egyptian sources had said a temporary ceasefire in southern Gaza had been agreed to last several hours to facilitate aid and evacuations at Rafah. However, Egyptian state TV later quoted an unnamed, high-level source as saying that no truce had been agreed. Israel and Hamas both denied reports of a deal.