Gaza's Armistice Negotiations Mandek

JAKARTA - The last round of negotiations in Cairo to restore the Gaza ceasefire and release Israeli hostages ended without any clear breakthroughs, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said.

The source said Hamas adhered to his position any deal should lead to an end to the war in Gaza.

Israel, which restarted its military operations in Gaza last month, said it would not end the war until Hamas was crushed. The militant group has put aside any proposals for them to lay down arms.

But despite those fundamental disagreements, the sources said the Hamas delegation led by the Hamas Chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, showed flexibility over how many hostages could be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel if the ceasefire was extended.

Egyptian sources told Reuters the latest proposal to extend the ceasefire would see Hamas release more hostages.

Israeli Minister Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Army Radio on Monday, April 14, Israel was seeking the release of about 10 hostages, which had previously been approved by Hamas to release five hostages.

Hamas asked for more time to respond to the latest proposals, said an Egyptian source.

"Hamas has no objection, but wants assurances that Israel agreed to start negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement" which would end the war, Egyptian sources said.