Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri criticized Washington and the West's calls for it to accept a cease-fire proposal advanced by U.S. President Joe Biden, saying on Tuesday it was "as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal." In comments reported by Hamas media, Abu Zuhri said Israel was not serious about reaching a deal in Gaza and was still maneuvering under U.S. cover. Hamas has said it had a positive view of the contents of the proposal. The United States said on Sunday that if Hamas accepted the proposed plan it expected Israel to follow suit. Qatar, which has been mediating on Gaza between Israel and Hamas, stressed that there should be a clear position from both parties to reach a cease-fire deal. "We are waiting for a clear Israeli position that represents the entire government in response to the U.S.'s Gaza proposal," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said.