The three days of negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages failed to achieve a breakthrough. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release Israeli captives in return for a six-week ceasefire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners, and more aid to Gaza.<br />''<br />''As per reports, Hamas has refused to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds, unless Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza, and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including fighters serving life sentences.<br />''<br />''Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that his group wants a permanent ceasefire, rather than a six-week pause, and a "complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. Meanwhile, Israel wants Hamas to hand over a list of captives who are alive, as well as the captive-to-prisoner ratio it seeks in any release deal.<br />