Senior Palestinian officials accuse Israel of deliberately stalling the negotiations in Qatar during the prime minister's US visit.

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.

A Palestinian source said that Hamas has rejected the withdrawal maps which Israel has proposed, as they would leave about 40 per cent of the territory under Israeli control, including all of the southern area of Rafah and further territories in northern and eastern Gaza.