Hamas would demand a permanent end to the war in Gaza and for an Israeli withdrawal as part of a cease-fire plan, the group's leader said on Wednesday, dealing an apparent blow to a truce proposal U.S. President Joe Biden touted last week.
Israel, meanwhile, said there would be no halt to fighting during cease-fire talks and launched a new assault on a central section of the Gaza Strip near the last city yet to be stormed by its tanks.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's remarks appeared to deliver the Palestinian militant group's reply to the proposal that Biden unveiled last week.