U.S. says Netanyahu accepted new Gaza cease-fire proposal, but Hamas says deal only meets Israel's demands

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a new "bridging proposal" for a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal, but Hamas said the proposal in fact "meets Netanyahu's conditions" and fits his agenda.

Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, Blinken said the "bridging proposal" that Netanyahu accepted "reflects what is in the cease-fire agreement that President (Joe) Biden put before the world" on May 31.

"It's now incumbent on Hamas to do the same, and then the parties, with the help of the mediators the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, have come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they'll implement the commitments that they've made under this agreement," he added.

The top U.S. diplomat said Netanyahu is committed to sending an Israeli team back to either Doha or Egypt to try to "complete this process."

Commenting on his meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu hailed what he called the U.S. understanding to Israel's security interests or efforts to release Israeli captives in Gaza.

"I also greatly appreciate the understanding that the US has shown for our vital security interests as part of our joint efforts to bring about the release of our hostages," Netanyahu said in a statement on X.

He added that these joint efforts were aimed at securing the release of "a maximum number of living hostages already in the first state of the deal."

The U.S., Egypt, and Qatar announced last week following cease-fire talks in Doha that they had presented Israel and Hamas with what they called a "bridging proposal" to further narrow "remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal."

On the other hand, Palestinian group Hamas said on Sunday that 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)."

"He also set new conditions in the hostage swap file and retracted other terms, which obstructs completion of the deal," Hamas said in a statement.

The movement emphasized its commitment to what it agreed upon on July 2.

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.

Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack that claimed some 1,200 lives, with around 250 people taken as hostages. Israeli actions have triggered a humanitarian disaster and an ongoing trial over alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice.