The armed wing of Hamas warned foreign airlines on Wednesday against flying into Tel Aviv, threatening to step up its six-week conflict with Israel and declaring truce talks in Cairo over.

Dressed in military fatigues with his face wrapped in a red and white chequered headscarf, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said Hamas was abandoning efforts to negotiate a durable ceasefire with Israel at Egyptian-brokered talks.