Hamas responded positively Wednesday to a U.S. cease-fire plan for the eight-month-old war in the Gaza Strip, opening a "wide pathway" to reach an agreement.

However, neither the Palestinian group nor Israel publicly committed to a deal, creating uncertainty.

Hamas submitted its formal response Tuesday to a proposal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31. Israel claimed the response was tantamount to a rejection while a Hamas official said the Palestinian group merely reiterated longstanding demands not met by the current plan.

Egypt and Qatar said they had received Hamas' response but did not disclose the contents.

Early on Wednesday, Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said in a statement the group's answer was "responsible, serious and positive" and "opens up a wide pathway" for an accord.

Another Hamas official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters Tuesday the response reaffirmed the movement's stance that a cease-fire must lead to a permanent end to hostilities in Gaza, withdrawal of Israeli forces, reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave and release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

"We reiterated our previous stance. I believe there are no big gaps. The ball is now in the Israeli courtyard," the official said.

The United States has said Israel accepted its proposal, but Israel has not publicly stated this. As Israel has continued assaults in central and southern Gaza that are among the bloodiest of the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel would not commit to an end of its campaign in Gaza before Hamas is eliminated.

An Israeli official said Tuesday the country had received Hamas' answer via the mediators and that Hamas "changed all of the main and most meaningful parameters."

The Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hamas "has rejected the proposal for a hostage release that was presented by President Biden."

Earlier a non-Israeli official briefed on the matter, who declined to be identified, said Hamas proposed a new timeline for a permanent cease-fire with Israel and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, including Rafah.

The U.N. Security Council voted Monday in favor of a U.S. resolution supporting the proposal outlined by Biden. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday that Hamas accepted the Security Council resolution and was ready to negotiate over the details of a cease-fire.

For months, negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate a cease-fire in the enclave of 2.3 million people.

The war was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that caused the death of nearly 1,200 people and seized more than 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, in comparison, has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, the Gaza Health Ministry has said, and reduced most of the narrow, coastal enclave to wasteland, with malnutrition widespread.