Israel-Gaza war: Tens of thousands rally for hostage deal as Gaza ceasefire talks continue

But he repeated a demand that any deal would have to explicitly include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and complete end to the war.

“We don’t have the option to agree to a deal that includes ending the war or giving up a full-scale operation in Rafah,” he added.

Separately, an anonymous Israeli government official told local media on Saturday that Israel would “under no circumstances agree to end the war as part of an agreement to free our abductees”.

The US – Israel’s biggest diplomatic and military ally – is reluctant to back a new offensive that could cause significant civilian casualties and has insisted on seeing a plan to protect displaced Palestinians first.

A source familiar with this latest round of discussions told the BBC that the negotiations were still complex, and any breakthrough could still take several days.

Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme has warned that northern Gaza is now experiencing a “full-blown famine”.

No spams, just the stories that truly matter