In his remarks, Prime Minister Biden acknowledged that some Israelis, including officials within the Israeli government, would likely oppose the proposal.
“I urge the Israeli leadership to support this deal,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what (political) pressure comes.
The U.S. president also addressed the Israeli people directly and said, “We cannot miss this moment.”
In particular, Mr. Biden said Hamas has now become so corrupt that it can no longer repeat attacks like the one it carried out on October 7. This is likely a signal from Washington to Israel that the war is over.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement that the war will not end until its goals are achieved, including repatriating all hostages and eliminating Hamas' military and government capabilities. He said the latest plan would allow Israel to maintain these principles.
Hamas said it viewed the proposal “positively” because it included a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, reconstruction and prisoner exchanges.
The group said it was prepared to “deal positively and constructively” with any proposals centered on a permanent ceasefire if Israel “declares its explicit commitment to it.”
Another Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations who saw Israel's new offer said the document contained no guarantees that the war would end or that IDF forces would fully withdraw from Gaza.
The proposal was relayed to Hamas through mediators in Qatar.
With civilian casualties rising in the Gaza Strip, President Biden has faced growing domestic criticism of the level of U.S. support for Israel and urged the warring sides to do more to encourage negotiations.
But the White House said earlier this week that it did not believe Israel's operation in Rafah amounted to a “large-scale ground operation” that could cross the line and trigger a possible change in U.S. policy.
The statement came after at least 45 Palestinians were killed Sunday in Israeli airstrikes and resulting fires.
In separate announcements made on Friday, U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the political spectrum formally invited Netanyahu to address Congress in Washington.
It is unclear when the address will take place.
More than 36,000 people have been killed across Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The war began last October when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
