Palestinian Resistance faction Hamas accused the United States of distorting the truth by blaming the group for the resumption of the war in Gaza.

"The claim that 'Hamas chose war instead of releasing the hostages' is a distortion of the facts," Hamas said in a statement on Saturday, in response to US National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes. 

Hughes had earlier said, "Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war," on Tuesday.

The Resistance movement emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "rejected these initiatives," instead opting to sabotage them for his political benefit.

The Israeli PM has been facing intense criticism in "Israel", particularly from the families of the Israeli captives in Gaza.

Hamas further accused the US of "equating the aggressor with the victim," adding, "The US' statements reveal once again its full complicity in the aggression against our people, as well as its collusion with the occupation in committing genocide, starvation, and siege against more than two million Palestinians in Gaza."

Netanyahu: 'Negotiations will be under fire'

Netanyahu vowed to continue negotiations with Hamas "under fire" and claimed that the renewed offensive was due to Hamas rejecting Israeli proposals for the release of Israeli captives, in a statement published on March 18.

However, Hamas has repeatedly accused the Israeli regime of reneging on the ceasefire agreement and evading its commitments under the second phase of the deal.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on March 19 threatened the Palestinians in Gaza with the complete destruction of the besieged enclave and signaled the imminent resumption of the forced displacement of its people.

'Israel' reneged on Gaza ceasefire, US complicit in genocide: Hamas

As the aggression on Gaza has been renewed, Hamas issued a statement of condemnation, saying "Israel" has reneged on the ceasefire agreement, evading its obligations, and continues to commit massacres against the Palestinian people in Gaza, amid a shameful international silence.

"The claims made by the [Israeli] occupation regarding preparations by the Resistance to launch an attack on its forces are baseless and are merely false pretexts to justify its return to war and escalate its bloody aggression," the statement read.

The Palestinian group accused "Israel" of "attempting to mislead public opinion and fabricate false justifications to cover up its premeditated decision to resume its genocidal campaign against defenseless civilians, disregarding any commitments it made." 

"Hamas adhered to the agreement until the very last moment and was committed to its continuation," the statement stressed, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "seeking a way out of his internal crises, preferred to reignite the war at the cost of our people's blood."

In a separate statement, Hamas considered that the US administration's admission that it was previously informed about the resumed Israeli aggression "confirms its direct partnership in the genocide" against the Palestinian people.