Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a deal for a five-day ceasefire with Palestinian groups in Gaza in return for the release of some of the hostages held in the territory early in the conflict, The Guardian reports citing sources familiar with the negotiations.

The sources said the Israeli prime minister rejected the deal outright in negotiations soon after Hamas staged an unprecedented incursion into Israeli territory on 7 October, killing an estimated 1,400 people.

The Guardian quoted three sources familiar with the talks as saying that the original deal on the table involved freeing children, women and elderly and sick people in exchange for a five-day ceasefire but the Israeli government turned this down and demonstrated its rejection with the launch of the ground offensive.

Negotiations resumed after the launch of the Israeli ground offensive on Oct 27, but the same sources said Netanyahu had continued to take a tough line on proposals involving ceasefires of different durations in exchange for a varying number of hostages, the report said.

It added that others indicated that negotiations which took place prior to the ground invasion involved a far larger number of hostages, with Hamas proposing the release of dozens of foreign nationals captive in Gaza.

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