Hamas on Thursday said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, after offering to release some hostages and as the civil defence reported scores of civilians killed across the Palestinian territory.

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Hamas has agreed to release 10 hostages as part of ongoing ceasefire talks in Gaza, following four days of indirect discussions facilitated by Qatar.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would send its negotiating team to Qatar, this after Hamas said it had issued a "positive response" to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire proposal.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial U.S.-backed aid distribution initiative supported by Israel, is currently the primary method for Palestinians in devastated Gaza to access supplies in designated spots after Israel lifted its aid blockade in mid-May.

The deal comes more than 20 months into the conflict -- and more than three months after a previous deal ended.

In March, United Nations experts said in a report that Israel had used sexual violence as a war strategy in Gaza, allegations Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu rejected as biased and anti-Semitic. The authors of the Bar-Ilan University document presented the report to Israel’s first lady Michal Herzog on Tuesday.

Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, continue with optimism from U.S. President Trump.