Since the seventh of October last year, when Hamas militants streamed into Israel, killing hundreds and grabbing hostages, the war in Gaza has been an unrelenting nightmare of death and destruction. Talks to end the war are once again bogged down, as every day, the death toll amounts. In Beirut, we spoke to Senior Hamas leader, Osama Hamden, one of the few privy to details of the sea's fire negotiations. But not privy, he claims, to the condition of the 120 hostages still in Gaza. How many of those 120 are still alive?

I don't have any idea about that. No one has any idea about this.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that messages from Gaza Hamas leader, Yahya Sinhuar, to mediators and other Hamas officials included one in which he allegedly said, The deaths of civilians in Gaza is a necessary sacrifice. Hamdan insists the messages were fake. After eight months of this war, more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed, probably more, more than 80,000 injured. Was it a necessary sacrifice for the people of Gaza?

You seem that you can't start from the beginning. Let's start from page number one. Why? To talk about the page of the seventh of October. What about the Israeli occupation?

I'm talking about what came after the seventh of October.

Well, the seventh of October was a reaction against the occupation. What came after that? It shows the real face of Israel. It shows how Israel is occupying the Palestinian lands, demolishing the situation of the Palestinians, killing the civilians. It's not the first time they are killing the civilians.

Hamas is an organization. Does it regret what it did on the seventh of October, given what happened afterwards?

We are living with this for the last 75 years as Palestinians.

Now, CNN spoke to one of the doctors who treated the four Israelis who were freed on Saturday, and he said that they suffered mental and physical abuse. And what do you say to that?

Well, he's an Israeli. He has to say what the Israeli authorities are asking him to say. If you compare the images of both before and after releasing, you will find that they were better than before. I believe if they have mental problem, this is because of what Israel have done in Gaza.

But in addition to what has been said about the four recent hostages freed, there have been also claims about the dire conditions others faced while in captivity. The fate of the remaining hostages hangs in the balance. At the G7 summit in Italy, US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said he was hoping Hamas would agree to the latest US-backed ceasefire proposal. The response we got was, unfortunately, not the yes that we were looking for, a yes that virtually the entire world has given. Okay, Mr. Hamdan, simple question. Why hasn't Hamas yet agreed officially to the US-backed proposal for a ceasefire?

We said it's a positive step, but we need to see the facts on the ground. We need to know what exactly the President means by saying a ceasefire, a withdrawal.

What is left? What do you need?

We need an Israeli, a clear position from Israel to accept the ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and let the Palestinians to determine their future by themselves.

Are you optimistic at this point in time that you will reach some agreement?

Well, I think if the United States Administration Act the positive way, seeing the situation not only in the eyes of Israel, we can reach soon an agreement.

And in the absence of an agreement, this war goes on with no end in sight. Ben.