Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again demanded concessions from Hamas before further negotiations are held for a new ceasefire and the return of more than a dozen hostages still being held by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s military arm in the Gaza Strip.

“We are making great efforts to succeed, but let it be clear to all of you — we will not back down from the delusional demands of Hamas,” the head of Israel’s most right-wing government in the country’s history said during the during his speech in Tel Aviv last Sunday night.

Israel did not send a delegation of negotiators to Cairo on Sunday, where a possible new truce and the release of Hamas hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel are being discussed.

A delegation of the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, went to the Egyptian capital anyway.

Among other things, the Israeli government is demanding that it be provided with a list of the names of the hostages held by Hamas before it agrees to participate in the proximate negotiations, which are being brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US.

According to information, the talks remain at an impasse, there are huge differences.

Mr. Netanyahu ruled that it is still too early to say whether an agreement will be reached within the next few days, as the Americans are said to be hoping.

His government is also demanding clarification on how many Palestinian prisoners Hamas expects Israel to release for each hostage it hands over.

According to information from Western media, the draft of the agreement drawn up by the negotiators and discussed in recent weeks foresees a ratio of 1:10, that is to say that 40 hostages and 400 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel will be released in a “first phase”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also said he has not received satisfactory answers to his government’s concerns and rejected “international pressure to end the war” before the goals set are achieved. With or without a deal, “we will continue to fight until total victory,” he reiterated.