An unnamed senior official told Al Jazeera that Hamas had received a new ceasefire proposal from Egypt — but that the Egyptian side emphasised that no deal could be reached with Israel unless the Palestinian group laid down its arms.

“Our negotiating delegation was surprised that the proposal Egypt conveyed included an explicit text regarding the disarmament of the resistance,” the official said. “Egypt informed us that there will be no agreement to stop the war without negotiating the disarmament of the resistance.”

According to the official, Hamas stuck to its position that any agreement should be centred on an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and its withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave. The official added that Hamas’s weapons were “not subject to discussion”.

Israel has repeatedly insisted that Hamas must be defeated — including being disarmed — for the conflict to end.