Hamas has accused Israel of wanting to retain military control of the Gaza Strip, and denied Israeli media claims of progress in ceasefire talks.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan quoted a foreign official it did not identify as saying that work was ongoing to revise Israeli pullback maps.

But Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told AFP: “(Israel) has not yet delivered any new or revised maps regarding military withdrawals from the Gaza Strip.

“The entire Gaza Strip is currently under the military control of (Israel). What is happening on the ground confirms (Israel’s) intentions and plans to maintain and prolong military control within the Gaza Strip for the long term.”

“It also confirms the occupation’s unwillingness to withdraw from the Strip or to stop the war, contrary to what the occupation claims in the ongoing negotiations in Doha and contrary to what it tells the mediators.”

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