DUBAI, December 14. /TASS/. The radical Palestinian movement Hamas is not negotiating with mediators on the release of hostages captured during the attack on Israel, a member of the movement's leadership, Basem Naim, told the New Arab newspaper.

According to the newspaper, he denied that any talks had been held between Hamas and international mediators to reach a deal with Israel for an exchange of hostages and prisoners. "This is the official and consistent position of the movement at the moment," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the newspaper's sources in Egypt said that the Israeli government has asked Cairo to start new talks to reach an agreement to exchange hostages held in the Gaza Strip for Palestinian prisoners, which would include the introduction of a ceasefire in the enclave.

On November 22, the radical Palestinian movement Hamas announced that it had reached, with assistance from mediators Egypt and Qatar, an agreement with Israel for a four-day humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel would release three Palestinian women and children from its prisons in exchange for every woman and child hostage released. The parties extended the ceasefire several times, but on the morning of December 1, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and announced that it would resume fighting in Gaza. On December 5, Osama Hamdan, a member of the movement's political bureau, said that Hamas would not release the remaining hostages until Israel stopped its aggression in Gaza.