Biden’s ‘misleading’ claim about ceasefire status ‘green light’ for Israel to continue war: Hamas

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has denounced as “misleading” US President Joe Biden’s claim that the group is backing away from a Gaza ceasefire deal, calling his remarks a “green light” for Israel to continue the genocidal war on the besieged enclave.

Hamas made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, after Biden accused the resistance group of blocking a deal with Israel that would halt the ongoing war in Gaza earlier in the day.

The “misleading claims... do not reflect the true position of the movement, which is keen to reach a ceasefire” agreement, Hamas said, noting that these remarks enable the Israeli regime “to commit more crimes against defenseless Palestinian civilians.”

The resistance group further stressed that it has agreed to a ceasefire proposal laid out by the US president in June. However, it said, the latest proposal put forward by the US and Israel includes new provisions contradicting the earlier framework.

Hamas: US ‘buying time’ for Israel to continue genocide

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says the US is “buying time” for the Israeli regime so the latter can continue its war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.

Hamas further noted that the latest US modifications to the proposal reflect a clear “bias” toward Israel and Washington’s complicity in the “war of extermination against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

It also described the latest amendments “a coup against” the previous framework, accusing Washington of “acquiescing” to conditions set by the Israeli regime.

Hamas further emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is “always the one obstructing an agreement and setting new conditions and demands,” calling on the US “to reverse its policy of blind bias towards the Zionist war criminals.”

It also urged the “mediators to assume their responsibilities” and oblige Israel to accept the original proposal.

The latest development comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Egypt for talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal. He will then head to Qatar, which along with Egypt is brokering negotiations for a truce in the brutal Israeli assault.

On Friday, the United States, Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement saying they held Gaza ceasefire talks in a positive atmosphere in the Qatari capital Doha, adding that the talks were “serious, and constructive.”

The mediators put forward a “bridging proposal” that would allow the “swift” implementation of a deal that would end the war in Gaza and see the release of Israeli captives, the joint statement said.

Hamas has already said it would not accept new conditions from the Israeli regime as outlined in the new proposal.

Hamas official dismisses Biden's truce optimism as ‘illusion’

Sami Abu Zuhri, a high-ranking member of the Hamas political bureau, has dismissed as “an illusion” Biden’s optimism that a ceasefire deal in Gaza is in sight.

Israel launched its barbaric campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance groups conducted surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories.

The regime has had in place a near-total siege on the coastal territory, which has reduced to a trickle the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory.

So far, Israel has killed more than 40,000 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents.

Hamas has repeatedly said it would release the remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a complete cessation of Israeli aggression and the regime’s full withdrawal from Gaza

It has also conditioned their release on the return of the displaced people, and an end to the siege that Tel Aviv has imposed on Gaza.

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