Hamas rejects Israeli ceasefire proposal

The Palestinian group Hamas has rejected an Israeli offer of a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the surviving Israeli hostages and its disarmament.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the Cairo talks told the BBC:

"The Israeli offer was conveyed to the group via Egypt and called for Hamas to disarm without any commitment from Israel to end the war or leave Gaza. So Hamas has rejected the offer outright."

The BBC source said Israel was stalling for time by seeking to return the hostages without ending the war, a position Hamas finds unacceptable.

The BBC source added that any future agreement must include an Israeli commitment to end the war and leave Gaza.

The Hamas delegation left Cairo on Monday after a brief visit.