International mediators had invited Israel and Hamas to resume talks toward a long-sought truce and captive-release deal after the fighting in Gaza and the Israeli assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders sparked fears of a wider conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly refused to sign ceasefire agreements, accepted the invitation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt for a round of talks planned for Thursday.

On Sunday, Hamas said it wanted the implementation of a truce plan laid out by Biden on 31 May and later endorsed by the UN Security Council, "rather than going through more negotiation rounds or new proposals that provide cover for the occupation's aggression and give it more time to perpetuate the genocide war against the Palestinians."

Unveiling the plan, Biden had called it a three-phase "roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages", and said it was an Israeli proposal.

Biden said the first phase of the proposed roadmap includes a "full and complete ceasefire" lasting six weeks, with Israeli forces withdrawing from "all populated areas of Gaza" and some hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The second phase would see the remaining living captives released as the warring sides negotiate "a permanent end to hostilities", followed by "a major reconstruction plan for Gaza" and the return of dead captives' remains.

The statement highlighted: "The movement agreed to the mediators' proposal on 6 May 2024 and welcomed President Biden's announcement on 31 May 2024, and UN Security Council Resolution 2735 in this regard, which the enemy met with rejection and continued massacres against our people, and continued to emphasize its position that it is not serious about a permanent ceasefire, and its aggressive practices against our people were practical evidence of that."

The movement continued: "Although we and our mediator brothers in Egypt and Qatar are aware of the true intentions and positions of the occupation and its prime minister, the movement responded to the latest agreement on 2 July 2024, which the enemy confronted with new conditions that were not proposed throughout the negotiation process, and went on to escalate its aggression against our people and commit more massacres, leading to the assassination of the movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh, in confirmation of its intentions to continue the aggression and not reach a ceasefire agreement."

Hamas explained: "After the announcement of the tripartite statement (issued by the United States, Egypt and Qatar regarding the resumption of negotiations and a ceasefire in Gaza), the enemy committed a heinous crime and committed a massacre against the displaced people in the Al-Tab'een School in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza."

It added: "In light of this, and out of concern and responsibility towards our people and their interests, the movement demands that the mediators submit a plan to implement what they presented to the movement and agreed to on 2/7/2024."

The Palestinian group demanded "that the mediators present a plan to implement what they proposed to the movement... based on Biden's vision and the UN Security Council resolution, and compel the Israeli occupation to comply", it said.

The group indicated that it "has gone through many rounds of negotiations and has provided all the necessary flexibility and positivity to achieve the goals and interests of our people, stop their bloodshed, and end the genocide against them".

Hamas also stated that it has gone through the talks in a way that opened the way for a prisoner exchange, relief for Palestinian people, the return of the displaced, and the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the Israeli aggression.

Last week, Hamas named Yahya Sinwar as head of its Political bureau to succeed Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in an Israeli attack on 31 July in Tehran.

Haniyeh's killing came just hours after Israel assassinated the military chief of Lebanese Hezbollah Fouad Shukur in a strike on Beirut.

Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other regional allies have vowed retaliation for Haniyeh's killing and that of Shukur.