CAIRO — Hamas' acting Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said in remarks broadcast on Nov 20 that there would be no hostages-for-prisoners swop deal with Israel unless the war in the Palestinian enclave ended.

"Without an end to the war, there can be no prisoner swop," Hayya said in a televised interview with the group's Al-Aqsa television channel, reiterating the group's position on how to bring the war to an end.

"If the aggression is not ended, why would the resistance and in particular Hamas, return the prisoners (hostages)?" he said.

"How would a sane or an insane person lose a strong card he owns while the war is continuing?"

Efforts to negotiate a truce for Gaza have stalled, and the US on Nov 20 vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an unconditional permanent ceasefire.

Washington's UN ambassador said the US would only support a resolution that explicitly calls for the immediate release of the Israeli hostages as part of a ceasefire.

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