As Israel and Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement, Israel says it wants to maintain troops in a southern corridor of the Gaza Strip — a condition that could derail the talks.

Hamas has warned that no Israeli hostages would be released without Israel making a "serious deal" with the group and that it will determine the terms.Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli Prime Minister's office and the U.

Hamas and Israel on Saturday accused the other of blocking attempts to strike a Gaza ceasefire agreement, nearly a week into indirect talks between the two sides to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Palestinian territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss a potential ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S.

The U.S. President said Israel “agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day ceasefire, “during which time we will work with all parties to end the war.”

Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war's end, a source close to the militant group said on Thursday, as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed scores more people.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed more than 40 Palestinians, including at a market and a water distribution point, as talks for a ceasefire between

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, met several times with President Trump, amid rising hopes of a cease-fire in Gaza, but there are still obstacles to a truce with Hamas.