DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Aid groups are raising new alarm over Israel’s blockade of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where it has barred entry of all food and other goods for more than six weeks. Thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, the United Nations says.

Hamas on Friday urged the international community to exert immediate pressure to end Israel's complete blockade of the Gaza Strip that has been in place since March 2.

The lead Hamas negotiator for ceasefire talks offered to swap all hostages held in Gaza for an agreed-upon number of Palestinians jailed in Israel. The offer came after Hamas reportedly rejected the latest Israeli proposal.

Israel has dramatically expanded its footprint in the Gaza Strip since relaunching its war against Hamas last month.

Israeli troops will remain in the buffer zones they have created in Gaza even after any settlement to end the war, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday, as efforts to revive a ceasefire agreement faltered.