The United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and several other countries have called on Hamas to accept a proposal announced by U.S. President Joe Biden for a permanent ceasefire in the enclave, according to a joint statement released by the White House on Thursday.

"At this decisive moment, we call on the leaders of Israel as well as Hamas to make whatever final compromises are necessary to close this deal," the statement said.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri on Tuesday criticized Washington and the West's calls for it to accept a ceasefire proposal advanced by U.S. President Joe Biden, saying 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."

It is worth noting that on June 1, a day after Biden outlined what he claimed to be an Israel-floated ceasefire proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu termed the proposal a "non-starter."

(With input from Reuters)