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Gazans shattered by war have condemned Israel for vowing to continue with its destruction and killing instead of pursuing a ceasefire.
Hopes for peace in the enclave were dealt a blow when Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the ground offensive and air strikes in Gaza could continue for weeks or even months.
The stance was met with anger and fear among those displaced by the war.
Displaced Majed Mattar said he was angry at what he described as "arrogant" comments.
“What is happening in Gaza is intolerable" Mr Mattar told The National. "Every day, Israel is killing children and women and innocent people. They are destroying everything.
“Our children don’t have drinkable water or suitable food.”
Another citizen of the enclave, Sameh Morad, said he believes the Israeli army realises it cannot achieve its objectives to wipe out Hamas, so all it wants to do now is "destroy and commit massacres against children".
“They are asking for prisoners exchange but we don’t want [only] that. We want to stop the war completely. We are tired enough,” he told The National.
Mr Morad said he wanted to return to his neighbourhood to find out if his loved ones are still alive.
He said Israel wants to "continue the genocide and we want to go back to our life".
"We want to check who is alive and who has died," he added. "We miss our relatives and friends and want to meet them again."
Qatar, which mediated talks to agree to a detainee-hostage exchange last month, said it was now finding the warring parties unwilling to negotiate.
Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said there would be no talks on an exchange deal until the military aggression in Gaza had stopped.
Ahmad Mohammad, who fled his home in Beit Lahya in Gaza's north and is now in Khan Younis, said he was desperate for a ceasefire before his pregnant wife gives birth.
“I am worrying about the current situation, every hour there are developments on the ground," he said.
“The situation of hospitals is worse and I worry I won't be able to take my wife to deliver our baby girl in the hospital.
"I don't know what I will do if I'm forced to leave Khan Younis to Rafah. I want this war to end as soon as possible. The idea of extending the war for more weeks make us feel hopeless."
The death toll has now surpassed 18,400 in Gaza, its Health Ministry reported, with more than 80 per cent of the enclave's 2.3 million population now displaced.
The UN said the situation on the ground was "hell on Earth" for civilians.
"Back in Gaza, endless deepening tragedy," Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote on X after a visit to the Gaza Strip.
"People are everywhere, [living] in the street, [they] need everything. They plead for safety and for an end to this hell on Earth."
He said the UN agency was facing an "impossible situation".
