Gaza ceasefire talks were dealt a new blow on Thursday when the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar, with the Trump administration saying Hamas is not acting in good faith.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his ceasefire negotiators will return to Israel from Qatar, a key mediator, for further consultations. Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, said the US was doing the same.
They made the decision after Israel studied Hamas’s latest response on Wednesday to a proposal for a 60-day truce. Israel and Hamas agree on the broad outlines: 10 living and and around 18 deceased hostages would be freed from Gaza during the ceasefire, and a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinians in Israeli jails would be released. The sides would also negotiate a permanent end to the war.
Yet they disagree over the extent of the pullback of Israeli forces from territory in Gaza. In addition, Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union — has said it wants assurances Israel won’t restart the war.
“While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” Witkoff said. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what led to the breakdown. But Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Hamas wants the release of 200 prisoners serving life sentences and another 2,000 arrested in Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023, the day the Palestinian militant group triggered the war by attacking southern Israel.
Those are higher numbers than the original proposal that won Israel’s agreement, Channel 12 reported.
One person involved in the mediation said the recall of the Israeli team does not imply the talks in Qatar have broken down altogether.
“We are working to achieve another deal to release our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a speech on Thursday. “But if Hamas perceives our willingness to reach a deal as weakness and an opportunity to dictate terms of surrender that would endanger the State of Israel, it is making a big mistake.”
The latest disagreement comes weeks after Trump said a deal was close.
The Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 abducted. Of those, 50 hostages are still in Gaza, with roughly 20 thought by Israel to be alive.
More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel has lost more than 400 troops in Gaza combat.
Another dispute in the negotiations, officials from both sides say, concerns a Hamas demand for the restoration of a United Nations-administered aid network that Israel sidelined. Israel said the move was necessary to prevent Hamas stealing food and medicine.
Earlier Thursday, scores of aid groups said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worse than ever and that starvation is spreading.
World anger toward Israel’s government over the situation in Gaza and the continuation of the war is growing. Israel says it must continue the conflict until all hostages are released and Hamas no longer poses a security threat.
With assistance from Dan Williams, John Bowker, Paul Wallace, Carla Canivete and Nick Wadhams.
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