US cuts short its Gaza ceasefire talks and accuses Hamas of lacking 'good faith'

The United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza President Donald Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff said ThursdayWhile the mediators have made a great effort Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith Witkoff said in a statement We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of GazaIt was unclear what alternative options the US was considering The White House had no immediate comment At a news briefing Thursday State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not offer details on what the alternative options the US is consideringWhen pressed for clarity on whether and how the US would proceed Pigott did not offer clarity and said This is a very dynamic situation He said theres never been a question of the US commitment to reaching a ceasefire but of Hamas commitmentTalks have dragged onA breakthrough in talks on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded Trumps administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza The territory recently had its deadliest day yet for aidseekers in over 21 months of war with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food SundayThe sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place Witkoff said the US is resolute in seeking an end to the conflict in Gaza and it was a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish wayIsrael also calls back its negotiatorsEarlier Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office recalled his countrys negotiating team back to Israel in light of Hamas response In a brief statement the prime ministers office expressed its appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and mediators Qatar and Egypt but it gave no further detailsThe deal under discussion is expected to include an initial 60day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting ceasefireThe talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war Hamas says it will only release all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas gives up power and disarms a condition the militant group rejectsHamas is believed to be holding the hostages in different locations including tunnels and says it has ordered its guards to kill them if Israeli forces approachTrump pushes for peaceThe breakdown in talks is the latest setback for Trump as hes tried to position himself as peacemaker and made little secret of the fact he wants to receive a Nobel Peace Prize The Republican president also had promised to quickly negotiate an end to Russias war in Ukraine but little progress has been made there eitherWith the war in Gaza Trump earlier this month met with Netanyahu at the White House putting his weight behind a push to reach a breakthrough and a ceasefire agreement But despite his newly strengthened partnership with Netanyahu following their countries joint strikes on Iran the Israeli leader left Washington without any announced breakthroughThe State Department said earlier in the week that Witkoff would be traveling to the Middle East for talks but US officials later said that Witkoff would instead travel to Europe It was unclear if he was holding meetings there Thursday The apparent derailing of the talks comes as Israels blockade and military offensive have driven Gaza to the brink of famine according to aid groups The UN food agency says nearly 100000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and the Gaza Health Ministry has reported a rise in hungerrelated deathsIsrael is criticized for its role in GazaIsrael has come under mounting pressure with 28 Westernaligned countries calling for an end to the war and harshly criticizing Israels blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out More than 100 charity and human rights groups released a similar letter saying that even their own staff are struggling to get enough foodThe US and Israel rejected the allegations and blamed Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting their terms for a ceasefire Israel says it is allowing in enough aid and blames UN agencies for not distributing it But those agencies say it is nearly impossible to safely deliver it because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order with crowds of thousands unloading food trucks as soon as they move into GazaA separate Israelibacked system run by an American contractor has also been marred by chaos The State Department once again on Thursday defended the USbacked system of delivering aid into Gaza despite international and nongovernmental organizations saying its not enough to deal with the growing hunger and malnutrition happening in the wartorn areaOf course we want to see the end of devastation that is taking place in Gaza Pigott said That is why we have supported the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation That is why weve seen those 90 million meals being distributedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever