Israel and the United States both recalled their negotiators from Qatar on Thursday, after weeks of mediated talks there with the Hamas terror group aimed at reaching a hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza.

US envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff said the terror group’s most recent response was “selfish” and that Hamas “does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.” Jerusalem’s statements were more measured, with a senior Israeli official telling reporters the negotiators’ return did not signal a crisis, and that efforts to reach a deal would continue from within Israel.

Proximity negotiations have been taking place in Doha since July 6, with the deal on the table envisioning the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 slain hostages from Gaza in exchange for a yet-to-be-agreed-upon number of Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli reporters Thursday that the return of Israel’s negotiating team did not indicate a crisis in talks, saying there was “no explosion, no collapse.”

At the same time, the current situation is evidence of Hamas’s “rejectionist and unfortunate approach,” according to the official.

The terror group’s answer, received by mediators at 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning, “does not allow progress without a shift in Hamas’s positions and without consulting on ways to do this both with the mediator and with ourselves,” the official said.

There are still gaps between the sides on all the topics, the official said, but he asserted that “progress has been made” in the 18 days of talks in Doha.

“We reached the stage where we actually need to return, and we will return here as soon as the right way is found to reduce the gaps and reach the closing stage,” he said.

According to the official, Hamas has not offered any compromise on the demilitarization of Gaza or the end of the war, and there are “difficulties” around the potential release of Palestinian prisoners.

The sides did not discuss guarantees about ending the war, a key Hamas demand, or the technical arrangements around the implementation of a deal, the official said, but he added: “We can arrive at this quickly.”

Israel is under the assumption that Hamas wants an agreement, the official said, adding that the team will continue to work “from the moment it lands and there is reception.”

The official praised Egypt and Qatar, “who showed a proactive approach, activity, and very, very significant efforts throughout all these 18 days.”

“I am realistic, and I still think we can continue to operate to reduce the gaps and bring about an agreement,” the official said.

Witkoff’s statement announcing Washington’s recall of the American negotiators, on the other hand, said, “While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.

“We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,” he said.

“It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.”

Witkoff did not elaborate on what “alternative options” the US might consider, and it was unclear if the statement was an attempt to ratchet up pressure on the terror group to compromise.

At a state ceremony Thursday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed not to compromise on achieving Israel’s war aims.

“If Hamas understands our readiness to reach a deal as weakness, as an opportunity to dictate terms of surrender to us that will endanger Israel, it is greatly mistaken,” the premier said, speaking to commemorate 85 years since the death of Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

“We are determined to achieve all the aims of the war,” he said. “We are determined to bring everyone back, and that is what we will do.”

A senior official and source familiar with the details told Axios on Thursday that Hamas is insisting that Israel free 200 Palestinians serving life sentences and 2,000 Palestinians arrested in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attack in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages.

One source involved in mediation efforts affirmed this account to The Times of Israel, saying Israel was upset over the proposal, but claimed that the number was merely a starting bid and that the terror group is prepared to come down closer to a number Jerusalem deems reasonable.

The gaps between Israel and Hamas are not actually very wide, the source said.

The vast majority of the 2,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza since the war’s outbreak, who Hamas is also demanding be released as part of the swap, have not even been charged, the non-Israeli source said, accusing Israel of arbitrarily detaining Gazans for use as barter in the negotiations.

As for the scope of the Gaza border belt that the IDF would remain in during a truce, the source described Hamas’s response issued last night as only roughly 200 meters less than what Israel has been demanding.

Israel earlier demanded a two-kilometer buffer zone, which Hamas countered with a one-kilometer buffer. Israel then lowered its demand to 1.2 kilometers; the source’s description on Thursday meant Hamas is continuing to hold firm on its 1-kilometer demand rather than compromise in turn.

The source said both Egyptian and Qatari mediators believe that the gaps can be bridged within days and hope Israel has not recalled its negotiating team to withdraw from the talks.

Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement in response to reports of the negotiators’ return, saying: “Negotiations have dragged on for too long already.” The families called on Netanyahu, as well as Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and IDF hostage point-man Gal Hirsch, to provide an update on the state of the negotiations and the central areas of dispute.

“Another missed opportunity to return all the hostages is unforgivable. It will be another failure of ethics, security, and politics, in an unending series of squandered opportunities,” the families said.

Shortly thereafter, in a video statement filmed at the White House during a visit to mark one year since Netanyahu’s visit to Washington in July 2024, a group of freed captives and remaining hostages’ family members called on US President Donald Trump to keep pushing for a deal.

“We want to thank President Trump for his focus on this issue, and on the region, and his help in bringing hostages back in the past —  we need you to stay with us, please, President Trump, bring all the parties back to the table. We need to continue working on this until they all come back, until they are all home.”

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists during the October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel that started the ongoing war.

They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive, and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.