A senior Hamas official told the BBC that it will not participate in the indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal due to resume in Doha on Thursday.

The Palestinian armed group wanted a roadmap for implementing the agreement and would “not engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”, the official said.

He reiterated that the roadmap should be based on the proposed deal outlined by US President Joe Biden at the end of May and accused Israel of adding “new conditions”.

Israel’s prime minister has denied doing so and said Hamas has been the one demanding changes.

The talks are still expected to take place even without Hamas, as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators say they could use them to put together a plan that resolves the remaining issues.

They suffered several setbacks last month and have been suspended since Hamas’s political leader and chief negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran.

The US hopes that finalising a deal could deter Iran from retaliating for the assassination against Israel - which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement - and avert a regional conflict.