Israel will not agree to any halt in fighting in Gaza that is not part of a deal that includes a return of hostages, a senior Israeli security official said on Friday.
The comment came after a statement from Hamas declaring that it would be ready to reach an agreement, including an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, as long as Israel stopped the fighting in Gaza.
"There will be no truce, or any halt in fighting whatsoever, in Gaza, which is not part-and-parcel of a hostage-release deal," the official said in comments sent to Reuters. "Any ceasefire would arise solely within the framework of a deal."