Following reports of little progress, Israel withdraws part of the negotiating team in Doha discussing the Gaza truce.

The Israeli government withdrew part of the Israeli negotiating team from Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday to hold "consultations" in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, although talks for an agreement to release hostages in Gaza will continue at a "technical" level.

This proposal was recently conveyed to Hamas through mediators, although Hamas continues to cling to its rejection.

"After approximately a week of intensive contacts in Doha, senior members of the negotiating team will return to Israel for consultations; the working group will remain in Doha for the time being," the office said.

The message comes after the Islamist group Ha'am denounced that, since Saturday, there have been no "real negotiations" for a settlement in Gaza, and that the Israeli prime minister is only maintaining a delegation in Qatar to "deceive international public opinion."

In its message, the Israeli president's office insisted that the country supports what it calls the "Witkoff framework," a proposal Israel attributes to the White House's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, which does not contemplate a definitive end to the war, as Hamas demands, but rather a temporary pause in the fighting to free hostages.

"This proposal was recently conveyed to Hamas through mediators, although Hamas continues to cling to its rejection," Netanyahu's office said today.

The Islamist group had earlier said that the president "continues to extend his delegation's trip day after day without engaging in serious talks, as no real negotiations have taken place since last Saturday," the group said in a statement.

The Islamists also accused Israeli authorities of trying to deceive the international community with their announcement that they would allow aid into Gaza, as, so far, none of the trucks that have crossed the enclave's border have been picked up by international organizations, according to the group.

Israel will "expand its operations and occupy more areas" of the Gaza Strip if the Islamist group Hamas does not relent and release the Israeli hostages it is holding in the enclave, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned Tuesday.

"Hamas has one option: to release our hostages. If an agreement is reached , the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will know how to adjust its operations," Zamir said in a video message from the Strip.

The army chief also took the opportunity to defend the "morality" of Israeli soldiers, after Yair Golan, one of the opposition leaders, criticized Israel's "hobby" of "killing babies" in Gaza.

"The IDF acts at all times in accordance with IDF values, Israeli law, and international law, while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to the security of the State of Israel and its civilians. Any statement that calls into question the integrity of our actions or the morality of our soldiers is baseless," Zamir said.

In an interview with Kan public radio, Golan said today that a "sensible state does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies for fun, nor does it set goals such as expelling a population."