Israel cannot accomplish any more in Gaza, US officials have said ahead of “last chance” ceasefire talks.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s forces have severely diminished Hamas but will not be able to eliminate the terror group entirely, according to senior American officials who spoke to The New York Times prior to the negotiations in Doha on Thursday.

Israel has done more damage to the terror group than the US anticipated, the sources added.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) now move freely across Gaza, control vital border crossings and have killed more than 14,000 Hamas members, according to Israeli estimates. 

US and Israeli officials added that it will not be possible to free all 115 hostages believed to be in Gaza through continued military operations.

The report comes as an Israeli delegation arrived in Qatar on Thursday in what has been described as a “last chance” to negotiate a ceasefire deal with Hamas, which could avert a looming attack by Iran and Hezbollah on Israel.

Hamas has repeatedly said it would not join the talks in Doha, instead arguing that an outline presented by Joe Biden in a speech on May 31 should be implemented instead of renewing negotiations. 

That deal would end the war, free all hostages, release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel and allow for the reconstruction of Gaza.

While the US said that both Israel and Hamas have largely agreed to the framework presented by the US president, both parties have expressed reservations over remaining issues such as the presence of Israeli forces in Gaza.

One of the main sticking points is the issue of a critical buffer zone known as the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt. Israel took control of the zone when it launched its ground offensive in Rafah in May.

Since then, Israel has discovered dozens of tunnels crossing from Gaza into Egypt, which has strengthened its claim for control of the corridor to prevent smuggling of arms into the enclave.

An Israeli official told The Telegraph that Mr Netanyahu stands by his demand that Israel control the zone.

Hamas and Israel have repeatedly accused each other of sabotaging the negotiations and presenting new demands.