As Israel and Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement, Israel says it wants to maintain troops in a southern corridor of the Gaza Strip — a condition that could derail the talks.

Hamas on Thursday said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, after offering to release some hostages and as the civil defence reported scores of civilians killed across the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli delegation didn't have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas, two Palestinian sources told Reuters.