Hamas negotiator urges US to exert 'real pressure' on Israel for Gaza truce

Hamas' lead negotiator has urged the United States to press Israel for a truce in Gaza, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of blocking a ceasefire in the Palestinian war-stricken enclave.

"If the US administration and its President (Joe) Biden really want to reach a ceasefire and complete a prisoner exchange deal, they must abandon their blind bias towards the Zionist occupation and exert real pressure on Netanyahu and his government," Qatar-based Khalil al-Hayya said in a video statement on Thursday.

Months of back-and-forth talks mediated by Washington, Doha and Cairo have thus far failed to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza and secure a hostage and prisoner exchange.

Hamas and Israel have traded blame for the stalled talks, as pressure for a deal intensified after Israeli authorities announced on Sunday the deaths of six hostages whose bodies were recovered from a Gaza tunnel.

Sticking point

Netanyahu said the Palestinian group had "rejected everything" in the indirect talks, saying on Wednesday Israel was "trying to find some area to begin the negotiations".

"They (Hamas) refuse to do that... (They said) there's nothing to talk about," he added.

Netanyahu's insistence on keeping control of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt has emerged as a recent sticking point.

Hayya on Thursday accused the Israeli premier of seeking to "evade the obligation to reach a ceasefire agreement".