Palestinian crowds struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Feb 18, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

JERUSALEM/GAZA/CAIRO/TEHRAN/DAMASCUS/DOHA - Israel will send a delegation for Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo only after it receives more indications that Hamas is willing to "soften its stance," an Israeli government official told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The official, who requires anonymity, said that Israel has yet to decide on sending a delegation for talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt. These discussions involve a potential ceasefire deal, which would require the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

"Hamas hasn't yet shown flexibility on the issue of the number of Palestinian prisoners who would be released" under a deal, the official said.

A meeting of US, Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian negotiators on a hostage release deal ended in Cairo earlier in February without a breakthrough.

Also on Wednesday, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit  condemned the United States for vetoing a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the AL said in a statement.

Aboul Gheit voiced his "deep regret" over the US move, the third time since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October of last year that the US interfered to fail a draft resolution aimed to reach a ceasefire, read the statement.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday strongly criticized the United States for using its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to block a draft resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip

During an emergency session of the UN Security Council held in New York on Tuesday, the US vetoed a resolution put forward on behalf of Arab states by Algeria demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

The US positions undermined the credibility of the international system and contributed to the paralysis witnessed by the United Nations, Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying in the AL statement.

Aboul Gheit also underlined "the political and moral responsibility" of the US for prolonging the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

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Meanwhile, the Palestinian presidency and Hamas on Wednesday condemned the US veto.

In a statement released by Palestine's official news agency WAFA, the Palestinian presidency expressed its "surprise at the continued refusal of the US to stop the war" that Israel is waging against the Palestinian people.

"The US veto, which defies the will of the international community, will give an additional green light to Israel to continue its aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, and to carry out its bloody attack on Rafah," the statement said, adding the US showed its "support and protection" for Israel by vetoing the resolution.

The Palestinian presidency called on the international community to search for solutions to stop the Israeli war in the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas said in a statement that the US administration bears responsibility for obstructing efforts to end Israeli "aggression" in Gaza.

The US gives "a green light for Israel to kill our defenseless people through bombing, starvation, and is a partner in the war," read the Hamas statement.

ALSO READ: UNSC reform urged as US veto of cease-fire draft lamented

Humanitarian aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing in Rafah on Jan 14, 2024.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday condemned the US for repeatedly vetoing UNSC resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Describing the US move as a "diplomatic catastrophe of the century," the foreign minister said on social media platform X that the repeated veto by the US administration created liability for the White House for Israel's "unceasing genocide in Gaza and war crimes in the West Bank and Palestine."

He called on the international community to hold the US accountable.

The Qatari government on Wednesday voiced its deep regret over the impediment of a draft resolution proposed by Algeria at the UN Security Council, which called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday strongly criticized the United States for using its veto power. In a statement, the ministry condemned the US veto as "arbitrary and disgraceful," accusing the US of providing political and military cover for Israel to continue its "war crimes" against Palestinians.

Moreover, the ministry accused the US of being hypocritical, as it claimed to support human rights while allowed the Israeli "killing machine" to continue its attacks on Palestinian civilians.

Meanwhile, the ministry called for the UNSC to take responsibility for stopping Israel's "crimes" and ensuring the protection of Palestinian lives and rights, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The Qatari government on Wednesday voiced its deep regret over the impediment of a draft resolution proposed by Algeria at the UNSC, which called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

ALSO READ: Gaza toll rises to 29,313 as Israeli airstrikes hit Syria, Lebanon

Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Feb 16, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

The Qatari Foreign Ministry affirmed in a statement that "the ongoing brutal aggression on Gaza exposes time after time the double standards and the differing positions of the international community regarding the systematic war crimes practiced by Israel against Palestinian people, especially children and women."

The statement underscored Qatar's commitment to achieving an immediate ceasefire, protecting civilians and facilitating the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid to all areas of Gaza, in cooperation with regional and international partners, as part of its dedication to resolving the conflict in Gaza.

During an emergency session of the UN Security Council held in New York on Tuesday, the US vetoed a draft resolution put forward on behalf of Arab states by Algeria demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

Algeria's draft resolution was backed by 13 out of the 15 Security Council members, while the United States vetoed against it and Britain abstained. It is the third time since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October of last year that the US interfered to fail a draft resolution aimed to reach a ceasefire.