Israeli authorities refute Biden's statement.

Following President Biden's comment that Prime Minister Netanyahu has not made sufficient efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Israeli media reported that Israeli officials described Biden's statement as 'perplexing'.

According to this official from Prime Minister Netanyahu's office, the Prime Minister stated that he agreed to the US proposal as early as May 31st, and then agreed to the US bridging proposal on August 16th.

The official added that President Biden's statement was particularly risky as it came just days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, including Americans.

However, the US proposal mentioned by the official on May 31st was a speech in which Biden discussed the details of the hostage exchange, and it did not include Israel's demand to maintain control over the Philadelphia Corridor.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's request, which was made in July, has been a major obstacle to reaching an agreement ever since.