Hamas reports that the newly tabled proposal is a deviation from Biden’s three-phased plan presented in May, with exclusions of Israeli withdrawal and a watered down captives-prisoner exchange deal. 

Osama Hamdan, a senior official within Hamas, has criticised the recent bridging proposal of a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement on Monday, Hamdan said that the updated proposal “raises many ambiguities,” Reuters reports.

The Palestinian movement official added that it deviates from the originally presented proposals that the group was willing to agree upon. This is in reference to a proposal based on the suggestions of U.S. President Joe Biden.

In May, Biden tabled a three-phased ceasefire plan which would last for six weeks each.

The plan would involve a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the besieged Gaza Strip as well as the release of captives held in the enclave in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

On August 16, a joint statement from Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt said that the mediators presented both factions with a bridging proposal consistent with what was presented by the U.S. president on May 31.

Al Jazeera reported that a telegram statement from Hamas welcomed Biden’s proposal.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said that the new conditions include no withdrawals from the Rafah Crossing, Philadelphi Corridor or Netzarim Route, Al Jazeera reported.

Hamdan and Naim’s statements follow the announcement by the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that the Israeli Prime Minister “accepts and supports” the updated bridging proposal.

“It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same,” the U.S. diplomat added.

However, Naim said that this latest proposal is a stalling tactic, enabling Israel to carry out more “massacres and killings” in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 40,000 people since October 7.

In light of the updated proposal, Hamdan said: “We don’t need new Gaza ceasefire negotiations, we need to agree on an implementation mechanism”.

Naim also said that Israel’s leader tabled changes to the captives-prisoner exchange deal that ultimately nullified its substance, among many other new conditions.

Blinken met with the Israeli leader on Monday during his ninth tour of the region since Israel renewed its onslaught on the enclave.

Reports confirm that the American official has left Israel for Cairo and Doha to continue negotiation talks.