Hamas has rejected President Joe Biden’s claim that it is “backing off” from a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, while insisting that the US is yielding to Israel’s interests in crunch negotiations.
A statement from the Palestinian militant group on Tuesday stopped short of outright rejection of a compromise proposal drawn up by mediators, but underlined the daunting challenges that remained to secure a deal to end the war in Gaza.
Biden’s chief diplomat Antony Blinken declared on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had supported a so-called bridging text, which aimed to resolve outstanding points of dispute between the two sides.