Hamas says working to 'surmount all obstacles' in Gaza truce talks

Hamas said Tuesday it was working to overcome "all obstacles" as Palestinian militant leaders held indirect talks with Israel aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war.

"The delegation of the movement participating in the current negotiations in Egypt seeks to surmount all obstacles to achieving an agreement that fulfils the aspirations of our people in Gaza," senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said in a televised speech.

"We reaffirm that the Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 was a historic response to attempts to eradicate the Palestinian cause," Barhoum added.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the territory's health ministry, figures the U.N. considers reliable.