US President Joe Biden has called on Hamas militants to agree to a new offer from Israel on releasing hostages in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire, saying it is the best way to begin winding down the deadly conflict.

“With a ceasefire, that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it,” Biden said.

“As someone who’s had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, as someone who just sent the US forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back, think what will happen if this moment is lost,” he said.

“We can’t lose this moment.”

Biden on Saturday (AEDT) detailed a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to Hamas militants that he says would lead to the release of remaining hostages in Gaza and could end the grinding, nearly eight-month-old war.

Biden added that Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel as he urged Israelis and Hamas to come to a deal to release remaining hostages for an extended ceasefire.

He said the first phase of the proposed deal would would last for six weeks and would include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza.

The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war.

An earlier hostage proposal put forward earlier this year called for the release of sick, elderly and wounded hostages in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a six-week ceasefire that could be extended to allow for more humanitarian aid to be delivered into the enclave.

The proposed deal fell apart earlier this month after Israel refused to agree to a permanent end to the war as part of the negotiations and ramped up an assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Hamas said on Thursday it had told mediators it would not take part in more negotiations during ongoing aggression but was ready for a “complete agreement,” including an exchange of hostages and prisoners if Israel stopped the war.

Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and others to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist movement in the Gaza war have repeatedly stalled, with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan would meet on Friday with diplomats from 17 countries who have citizens held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

Israel will not agree to any halt in fighting that is not part of a deal that includes the return of surviving hostages, a senior Israeli security official said on Friday.

Overshadowing Biden was an Israeli air strike in Rafah on Sunday that killed 45 Palestinians.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that recent Israeli ground operations in Rafah would not prompt a US withdrawal of more military aid.

Palestinian health authorities estimate more than 36,280 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel attacked the enclave in response to an October 7 Hamas assault in southern Israel.

The Hamas attack killed about 1200 people, according to Israeli tallies.