Dr Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, has issued a brief statement on Telegram, Al Jazeera reports.

“We affirm our readiness to continue working and negotiating responsibly to achieve our goals.”

The latest statement came hours after al-Hayya had accused Israel of reneging on the truce deal it signed with Hamas in January.

“Over the past period, we received a number of proposals and initiatives, and we dealt with them positively and responsibly to achieve our goals of a complete cessation of aggression against our people in Gaza, ensuring a full withdrawal from the Strip, exchanging prisoners, rebuilding, and ending the blockade.

“However, the Zionist occupation reneged on the agreement it signed with us and the mediators, refusing to move to the second phase, and once again resuming its aggression against our people,” he had said earlier.