President Biden Criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Hamas: America's Recognition That Netanyahu Is Responsible

Israeli military operations in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Senior Palestinian militant group official Hamas said President Joe Biden's criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu was the United States' acknowledgment of the responsibility of the Israeli Prime Minister for the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli forces last weekend found the bodies of six hostages, including 23-year-old American-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, from a tunnel in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The Israeli military said they had just been killed by the Hamas group.

It has sparked criticism of the Gaza ceasefire strategy of President Biden's Administration and stepped up pressure on Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu to take home the remaining hostages.

President Biden assessed that PM Netanyahu did not do enough to reach a hostage-taking agreement with Hamas.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said President Biden's criticism of PM Netanyahu was "an acknowledgment of America that Netanyahu is responsible for undermined efforts to reach an agreement," as reported by Reuters on September 3.

He said his group would respond positively to proposals that could secure a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.

Separately, senior Israeli sources said President Biden's "extraordinary" pressured PM Netanyahu of a hostage-taking deal instead of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

They said the US leader's statement was dangerous because it appeared days after Hamas executed six hostages, including an American.

In response to Israel's comments, a US official said, although President Biden had explained Hamas was to blame for the deaths of the hostages, "he also called for urgency from the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages who were still missing."

As previously reported, Hamas Deputy Head of Political Bureau Khalil al-Hayya said PM Netanyahu had rejected proposals on prisoner swaps, while they had accepted US proposals.

"We have received a proposal submitted by US President Joe Biden, however, Netanyahu set new requirements and accused Hamas of not paying attention to negotiations under new requirements," he said, as quoted by IRNA.

He stressed that there could be no ceasefire agreement in Gaza, without the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphia, Netzarim and Rafah Corridors. Al-Hayya stressed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered Philadelphia corridors more important than Israeli hostages.