Ceasefire proposals between Hamas and Israel have been heavily scrutinized, and neither side has come to a steady agreement. But in an attempt to compromise, Israel copied language in a ceasefire Hamas proposed previously.

Despite using some of Hamas’s own ceasefire terms, the terrorist organization denied the ceasefire proposal, which American, Egyptian, and Qatari intermediaries were optimistic about, according to the New York Times.

That denial has led to the American side of the negotiations to rebuke Hamas, saying, “If Hamas did not really want a deal, perhaps the negotiations were done.” Hamas refused the idea that it did not want a ceasefire and sent a proposal over on Monday.

While it wasn’t accepted, it kept talks afloat until they resume on Wednesday. Hamas’s denial of the proposal is the latest in a series of struggles for Israel and Hamas to agree on a temporary peace. 

Hamas recently accepted a Qatari-Egyptian peace proposal, but that proposal proved inadequate for Israel, and the country did not sponsor the ceasefire. Israel has moved forward with its plans to assault Rafah, a city in the south of Gaza, despite President Joe Biden’s pleas not to. Israel ordered about 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate the city before the invasion.

Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and a former adviser to Palestinian leaders during past peace negotiations, told the New York Times he’s skeptical that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a ceasefire either.

“I don’t believe moves on or in Rafah, including evacuation orders, are just a negotiating tactic,” he said. “Netanyahu needs the Rafah operation to remain in power and to appease the fanatics in his coalition.”

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Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing numerous civilians and Israeli soldiers. Israel retaliated by quelling the invasion and launching a bombing campaign in Gaza that has claimed the lives of civilians and militants. 

The latter action has prompted anti-Israel protests to pop up on college campuses across the United States as the war has transformed into an overwhelmingly polarizing political issue in America, given the country’s support to Israel.