No Truce Without a Complete End to War: Hamas

The comments were made on Saturday by a senior official with the movement, who asked not to be named.

The official said the group would "not agree under any circumstances" to a truce that did not explicitly include a complete end to the war, including the regime’s withdrawal from Gaza.

He said the regime was trying to secure a deal that would enable the release of those who were taken captive during the al-Aqsa Storm "without linking it to ending the aggression on Gaza."

The official, meanwhile, said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "personally hindering" efforts to reach a truce due to "personal interests."

The comments echoed those made by Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, a day earlier.

Bardan had condemned Netanyahu for stonewalling a deal, saying the Israeli premier’s insistence on carrying out a ground invasion against the southern Gaza city of Rafah was a key stumbling block in negotiations aimed at potential arrival at an agreement.

Around 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge in the city from the ravages of the war.