GAZA CITY, Palestine

Hamas on Tuesday called US President Joe Biden’s claim that the Palestinian group had backed away from a Gaza cease-fire deal “misleading.”

“Biden and (US Secretary of State Antony) Blinken's statements are misleading and don’t reflect the true position of the movement, which is keen on halting the aggression,” Hamas said in a statement.

As he prepared to leave Chicago after a keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, Biden said: "It's still in play, but you can't predict.”

"Israel says they can work it out ... Hamas is now backing away,” he added.

Hamas said Biden’s comments “were part of the US bias towards the Israeli occupation and full complicity in the aggression and war of extermination against the defenseless civilians in Gaza.”

It said the latest US proposal “constitutes a reversal of what the parties reached on July 2, based on Biden-backed proposal on May 31, and UN Security Council Resolution 2735.”

The proposal “is an American response and surrender to the new conditions of the terrorist (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his criminal plans against the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said.

Gaza cease-fire talks in Qatar concluded on Friday by presenting "a proposal that narrows the gaps" between Israel and Hamas that is consistent with the principles set out by Biden on May 31.

Biden said in May that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

But Hamas said on Sunday that Netanyahu set new conditions in the Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap proposal that was floated during the Doha talks.

“The new proposal meets Netanyahu's conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent cease-fire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Junction (which separates the north and south of the Gaza Strip), the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor (in the south),” Hamas said in a statement.

“He also set new conditions in the hostage swap file and retracted from other terms, which obstructs the completion of the deal,” it added.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’s demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The conflict has resulted in over 40,170 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 92,740 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala