It comes after the terror group rejected a proposal from Egypt that would have declared a two-day ceasefire in Gaza if they had agreed to the return of four Israeli hostages.

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said Hamas “once again refused to release even a limited number of hostages to secure a ceasefire and aid for the people of Gaza.”

Taher al-Nunu, a Hamas official, told AFP that the idea of ​​a “temporary pause in the war, to resume aggression later, is something on which we have already stated our position. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”

Meanwhile, David Barnea, the director of Mossad and head of the Israeli negotiating team, reportedly told the hostages’ families that the chances of reaching an agreement were slim.

“We have still not received a response from the mediators, either to the Qatari proposal or to the Egyptian proposal, in any official capacity, so it is best to wait. At this point the chances of a deal are very slim,” he said, according to Channel 12.

It follows the arrest of Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu’s spokesman, who is accused of leaking sensitive IDF intelligence documents.

Feldstein, 32, who failed a background check before taking office last year, reportedly leaked a story suggesting Hamas was not interested in reaching a ceasefire. The scandal sparked an intense debate in Israel over Netanyahu’s role in the case.