The United States joined Israel on Thursday, July 24, in pulling its negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks, with special envoy Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas for failing to reach a deal and saying Washington would "consider alternative options."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that his government was still seeking a ceasefire despite recalling its negotiators from indirect talks in Qatar, also accusing Hamas of blocking an end to nearly two years of fighting.
Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha for more than two weeks but the talks have failed to yield a breakthrough. Pressure is mounting over the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings that "mass starvation" were spreading.
After Hamas submitted its response to mediators on the latest ceasefire proposal, Netanyahu's office said Israeli negotiators were returning for consultations. "We are working to reach another deal for the release of our hostages," Netanyahu said in a speech. "But if Hamas interprets our willingness to reach a deal as a weakness, as an opportunity to dictate surrender terms that would endanger the State of Israel, it is gravely mistaken."
Witkoff accused Hamas of not "acting in good faith," and said the United States was bringing home its team. Hamas's response "clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza," Witkoff said in a post on social media. Washington would now "consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way," he added.
A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said that Hamas's response included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war.
Through 21 months of fighting, both sides have clung to long-held positions, preventing two short-lived truces from being converted into a lasting ceasefire. The talks in Doha began on July 6 to try to reach an agreement on a truce that would also see the release of Israeli hostages.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. But the talks have dragged on without a breakthrough, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands.
For Israel, dismantling Hamas's military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza.
Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for Gaza's deepening hunger crisis, which the World Health Organization has called "man-made" and France blamed on an Israeli "blockade." Instead, it accuses Hamas of preventing supplies from being distributed and looting aid for themselves or to sell at inflated prices as well as shooting at people seeking handouts.
International news organizations have urged Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza, with concern that a lack of food is putting their lives at risk. Israel maintains that it is allowing aid into the Palestinian territory but that international relief agencies were failing to pick it up for distribution. Aid agencies have said permissions from Israel are still limited, and coordination to safely move trucks to where they are needed is a major challenge in an active war zone.