US says Hamas and Israel's public positions on ceasefire do not reflect private talks

Negotiations on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza faced more challenges on Monday after Israel launched a new offensive on Gaza City, where Palestinians have reported ferocious Israeli bombardment.

Hamas released a statement quoting the group’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, saying that the assault "could bring the negotiation process back to square one. Netanyahu and his army will bear full responsibility for the collapse of this path”.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published demands that any hostage deal with Hamas would not prevent Israel from restarting fighting in the besieged enclave, and also that the deal would prevent the smuggling of weapons from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Gaza.

Netanyahu’s new demands, along with Israel’s intense bombardment, dealt a blow to the US’s claim last week that mediators had reached “a breakthrough” on months-long talks.

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