Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added new conditions in late July to a ceasefire proposal delivered to American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators, which has hardened Israel's position and complicated negotiations, according to documents seen by The New York Times.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that his government was shifting goalposts during negotiations, but the documents suggest Israeli forces now want to keep control of the southern border with Egypt and are showing "less flexibility" in allowing Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza after fighting ends.

Israel and the US have repeatedly blamed Hamas for a lack of headway in negotiations. Neither of the two stipulations reported were in the "comprehensive" ceasefire proposal that US President Joe Biden announced Israel had put forward in late May.