Netanyahu offers Hamas $1 million for each hostage taking and amnesty for the October 7 kidnappers

This came after the terror group rejected a proposal from Egypt that would have resulted in the declaration of a two-day ceasefire in Gaza if they had agreed to the return of four Israeli hostages.

Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said Hamas had “once again refused to release even a limited number of hostages to ensure a ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza.”

Taher al-Nunu, a Hamas official, told AFP that the idea of ​​a “temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on.” Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”

Meanwhile, David Barnea, the Mossad director who leads the Israeli negotiating team, is reported to have told the hostages' families that the chances of an agreement were slim.

“We have not yet received an official response from the mediators, neither to the Qatari nor to the Egyptian proposal, so it is best to wait and see. “Right now the chances of a deal are very slim,” he said, according to Channel 12.

It follows the arrest of Eli Feldstein, Mr Netanyahu's spokesman, who is accused of leaking confidential IDF intelligence documents.

Mr Feldstein, 32, who failed a security clearance before taking office last year, allegedly leaked a story suggesting Hamas was not interested in a ceasefire deal. The scandal sparked heated debate in Israel over Mr. Netanyahu's role in the affair.