Are we going to war?” asks a worried Cairo saleswoman upon learning that she’s speaking to a journalist. The ominous question about the prospect of war between Egypt and Israel has crept into many conversations in the country.

Israel has called for Hamas to accept a temporary extension of the existing cease-fire deal, and to release more hostages.

Israel has cut off the entry of all food and other goods into Gaza in an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of its war with Hamas.