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Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza

Netanyahu ‘does not want a deal’, says Hamas official

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is putting forward “impossible conditions” for reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

In a statement on his Telegram channel, Mardawi said that Netanyahu is insisting on selecting the names of only 10 captives to be released, rather than agreeing to a full release in one stage.

"Netanyahu is lying when he claims he is not involved in choosing the names of the hostages [to be released in the deal]… He does not want a deal," Mardawi wrote.

He added that Netanyahu’s conditions are aimed at hindering the possibility of reaching a ceasefire and a hostage deal, accusing him of refusing to honour terms he had previously agreed to.