Israel says won’t yield to ‘delusional’ Hamas demands in truce talks

Israel accused Hamas on Tuesday of posing “delusional” demands in indirect negotiations on a Gaza truce, saying in a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that these showed the Palestinian militants were not interested in a deal.

In the Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated talks, Hamas has sought to parlay any ceasefire into an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel rules this out, saying it would pursue efforts to dismantle Hamas, which is sworn to its destruction.