Hamas on Thursday said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, after offering to release some hostages and as the civil defense reported scores of civilians killed across the Palestinian territory.
The Islamist militant group said late Wednesday that it had agreed to release 10 people seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Both sides have been holding indirect talks in Qatar since Sunday to agree on a temporary truce, and the United States says it is hopeful that a 60-day halt can be secured in the coming days.
But Hamas said disagreements over the free flow of aid into Gaza and Israel's military withdrawal were sticking points, as were its demands for "real guarantees" for a lasting peace.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naïm told AFP on Thursday: "We cannot accept the perpetuation of the occupation of our land and the surrender of our people to isolated enclaves under the control of the occupation army (Israel).
"This is what the negotiating delegation is presenting to the occupation so far in the current round of negotiations in Doha."
Hamas was particularly opposed to Israeli control over Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the so-called Morag Corridor between the southern city and Khan Yunis, he added.
Israel announced earlier this year that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants, as a way of pressuring Hamas to release hostages.
Naïm also said the group wanted an end to the current delivery of aid by a US- and Israel-backed group, a system that has seen scores killed while seeking handouts.
On Thursday, eight children were among 17 killed in an Israeli strike at a medical point in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, the civil defense agency said.
The military said it had struck a Hamas militant in the city who had infiltrated Israel during the group's October 7, 2023, attack and that it "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible", adding the incident was under review.
Unanswered Questions
Hamas has given no timeline for the release of hostages or indications about the return of the bodies of nine detainees that Israel says have died in captivity.
Its announcement came as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up a visit to Washington, which included a meeting between Israeli, US and Qatari representatives.
That meeting on Tuesday "aimed to progress the negotiations and support the ongoing talks in Doha", an official with knowledge of the discussions told AFP.
Qatar, with fellow mediators the United States and Egypt, has brokered back-and-forth talks for a truce since the earliest days of the war.
There was a week-long truce in November 2023 and a two-month halt in fighting began in January 2025, but the indirect talks, principally held in Doha and Cairo, have failed to bring about a durable end to the hostilities.
Netanyahu, under pressure at home to end the war as military casualties increase, has been uncompromising in his bid to crush Hamas and neutralize it as a security threat to Israel.
But after two high-profile meetings with Donald Trump, he indicated that a temporary truce deal could be on the horizon, echoing the US president's own optimism that a deal can be struck soon.
On the ground, there was no let-up in civilian casualties on Thursday, with the civil defense agency reporting 52 killed in Israeli strikes and shooting across Gaza.
AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details due to media restrictions in the embattled territory.
In Deir el-Balah, Yousef Al-Aydi, said those in the queue for nutritional supplements heard a drone approaching, then an explosion.
"The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything around us turned into blood and deafening screams," he added.
Overall, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 57,680 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the conflict.
Hamas's attacks on border communities in Israel that sparked the war led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
A total of 251 hostages were seized in the attack. Forty-nine are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
By Phil Hazlewood with AFP team in Gaza
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