Hamas says talks on hostage release, ceasefire won't resume until next week

Hamas said Thursday that its delegation has left Cairo and talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release will resume next week, making it extremely that a deal will be brokered before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Egyptian officials had earlier said the negotiations reached an impasse over Hamas’s demand for a phased process culminating in an end to the war. But they did not rule out a deal before Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Sunday and has emerged as an informal deadline.

Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha said Israel “refuses to commit to and give guarantees regarding the ceasefire,