Taher al-Nono, a Hamas official, says the group has not shut the door on negotiations despite the renewed Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reports.

“Hamas has not closed the door on negotiations but we insist there is no need for new agreements,” he told AFP on the phone from Cairo, also calling for Israel to be forced to implement the ceasefire.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, al-Nono said: “Why do we have to present [new] proposals while a signed [ceasefire] agreement exists, with international parties acting as guarantors?”

“There is also a [UN] Security Council resolution. We have positively responded to all the efforts made towards us,” he said.

“It was Netanyahu that has backed down on the agreement. It was Netanyahu who turned a blind eye to it. Therefore, it is Netanyahu, not Hamas or the [Palestinian] resistance, that should be pressured to comply,” he added.

Al-Nono also said that the Israeli occupation forces have “no justification to their actions, past or present”. “They continue to breach the agreement they had signed,” he concluded.