The senior Hamas official spoke anonymously to Agence France-Presse after Saturday's negotiations, which ended without reaching an agreement. The talks are scheduled to continue on Sunday.
The source added that Hamas would not agree “under any circumstances” to a ceasefire that does not explicitly include a complete cessation of the war.
Late Saturday evening, the official also claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “personally obstructing” the ceasefire agreement.
On Saturday, the Hamas delegation sat at the negotiating table in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. Israel has not yet sent a delegation to Cairo, but it has participated in formulating the proposals now on the table.
Read the latest news about the conflict between Hamas and Israel
Israel refers to Hamas
Negotiators in Cairo on Saturday discussed Hamas's most important demands, which are a complete ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, according to what Palestinian movement spokesman Osama Hamdan said.
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Hamdan said by phone to Al Jazeera on Saturday evening: We hope that we can find some positive answers today.
However, a source close to the negotiations stated after 21:00 that the negotiations in Cairo had ended for the day.
At the same time, an unnamed Israeli official says that Hamas's demand to end the war in Gaza prevents an attempt to negotiate a ceasefire.
– So far, Hamas has not given up on its demand to end the war, which hinders the prospects of reaching an agreement, as the unnamed Israeli official told AFP on Saturday evening.
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Prisoner exchange
The proposal being discussed in Cairo includes an immediate ceasefire that will last for six weeks and coincide with the release of Israeli hostages, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The first phase lasts 40 days and includes some form of Israeli withdrawal. It has been reported that Hamas will begin releasing civilian hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
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“Unfortunately, there was a clear statement from Netanyahu saying that regardless of whether there is a ceasefire or not, he will continue the attack on Rafah – which means there will be no ceasefire.” Hamdan spokesman Hamdan said: “What we understand is that in order to reach a ceasefire, there cannot be more attacks anywhere in Gaza, including Rafah.”
He went on to say that they should talk about the real American position because it will affect the Israelis.
– Guarantees are important, but we need a clear statement clarifying the positions of each side, Hamdan says.
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