Hamas said it "considers positively" the Israeli roadmap for a complete ceasefire in Gaza announced by US President Joe Biden, who has called for an end to the nearly eight-month war.
But quickly thereafter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poured cold water on Biden's talk of peace, insisting that the army would continue fighting until it "eliminated" Hamas' ability to rule Gaza and pose a military threat.
Biden's address came as Israeli troops entered central Rafah, intensifying the war with Hamas despite international objections to any attack on the southern Gaza city.
Outlining how the war could end, Biden said Israel's three-phase proposal would begin with a six-week phase in which Israeli forces would withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza.
In addition, there would be "the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners."
Israel and the Palestinians will then negotiate during those six weeks for a permanent cease-fire - but the truce will last as long as negotiations are ongoing, Biden said.
The US president urged Hamas to accept the Israeli offer. "It is time for this war to end and the day after to begin," he said in comments echoed by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
Hamas said it "welcomes" Biden's speech on "a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, reconstruction and prisoner swaps."
UN chief Antonio Guterres "strongly hopes" that the latest development "will lead to an agreement between the parties for a lasting peace," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Israeli proposal "offers a glimmer of hope and a possible way out of the stalemate of war", while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the "balanced and realistic" approach to ending the bloodshed.
Netanyahu, however, disagreed with the proposal presented by Biden, insisting that the transition from one stage to the next in the proposed roadmap is "conditional" and is designed to allow Israel to maintain its war aims.
"The prime minister authorized the negotiating team to present a plan to achieve (the return of the hostages), while insisting that the war will not end until all of its objectives are achieved," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
These goals include "the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas' military and governmental capabilities," the release added.
"The precise plan proposed by Israel, including the conditional transition from stage to stage, allows Israel to preserve these principles."
Hamas has been careful not to comment on ceasefire proposals made to it by Egyptian, Qatari or American mediators. Earlier this year, it accepted one of them, but it has since been disavowed by Israel.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of "using the negotiations as a cover to continue its aggression," saying Hamas "refuses to be part of these maneuvers."
Israel has repeatedly vowed to destroy Hamas since the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has acknowledged that the humanitarian situation is "dire" despite U.S. efforts to provide more aid.
Blinken tried to pressure Hamas to accept a new ceasefire plan in Gaza in talks with senior diplomats from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. | BGNES
