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Negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire between Hamas and Israel have reached a standstill, with mediators reporting substantial disagreements over key terms.

Egyptian sources said the negotiations are on the "verge of collapse" due to Israeli "inflexibility", multiple reports stated. 

The deal would have facilitated the release of up to 30 captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and increased humanitarian access to the besieged Gaza Strip.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal, talks collapsed over the specifics.

Sources indicate Israel demanded assurances that only living captives would be released and opposed freeing certain Palestinian detainees sought by Hamas.

For its part, Hamas pressed for the ceasefire to serve as a step toward fully ending the war, a demand that Israel rejected outright.

According to reports in Israeli media, Israeli officials said Tel Aviv wants a deal that does not include stopping the war and withdrawing fully from Gaza.

Despite the stalemate, Hamas denied that the talks had entirely failed but warned that an agreement appeared increasingly unlikely before the end of the Biden administration.

The group reportedly proposed a week-long ceasefire during which it would provide a list of Israeli captives held in Gaza, as per Israeli media reports.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, this list would be delivered by the fourth day of the ceasefire, leaving Israel to decide on an extension or a resumption of hostilities.

Hamas, which holds around 100 Israeli captives, insists that compiling a full list is impossible while the war rages on. Meanwhile, Israel continues to detain over 10,300 Palestinians who are living in dire conditions inside cells.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing an arrest warrant over war crimes and crimes against humanity, has been accused of deliberately delaying a deal to preserve his government.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with over two million residents displaced amid severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.

Now in its 18th year, Israel’s blockade has reduced Gaza to what many describe as an open-air prison.

Amid the worsening crisis, international pressure on Israel intensifies. Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes in Gaza. The International Court of Justice is also reviewing genocide charges against Israel.

US President-elect Donald Trump has warned Hamas to release all hostages before his inauguration on January 20, vowing severe consequences if this demand is not met.

Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 45,553 Palestinians and wounded 108,379 since October 2023.