US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Doha to attend a round of ceasefire talks in Gaza. (Source: Reuters)

In a statement to AFP , Mr Zuhri said: "To say that we are close to an agreement is an illusion... We are not facing a real agreement or negotiations, but the imposition of American directives."

Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar’s capital Doha have been suspended until next week, Al Jazeera reported. In a joint statement issued on August 16, Egypt, Qatar and the United States said senior officials from the three countries would meet again in Cairo in the hope of reaching a final agreement on a Gaza ceasefire on terms proposed to Hamas and Israel in Doha.

A new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip resumed in Doha on August 15, with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Israel. The Islamist movement Hamas is not directly involved in the discussions but is informed of the progress of the talks.

The US, acting as a mediator alongside Qatar and Egypt, is trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, which is key to easing tensions in the region. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the talks had made a “promising start”, but acknowledged “there is still a lot of work to be done”.

The talks in Doha are part of a broader effort to resolve the escalating violence that has killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza over the past 10 months.