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Newsweek
a minute ago
- Newsweek
Hamas Contradicts Trump Envoy as Gaza Ceasefire Talks Stall
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Hamas has pushed back against remarks by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, who criticized the group's stance in ongoing ceasefire talks and said negotiators were pulling out from Qatar on Thursday. In a statement, Hamas expressed "surprise" at Witkoff's "negative" comments, saying that mediators had welcomed its "constructive and positive" position. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department and the Israeli prime minister's office for comment. Why It Matters The deadlock in ceasefire talks has dealt a major blow to hopes of an imminent ceasefire for Gaza and is a setback for months of diplomatic efforts, including those by Egypt and Qatar. Washington blames Hamas for prolonging the war and obstructing humanitarian aid. Gaza's humanitarian crisis continues to worsen, putting pressure on Israel. If negotiations collapse entirely, hopes for releasing remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza diminish further. Hamas fighters deploy and take up positions ahead of Israeli Ofer Kalderon's release, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, as he is being handed over to the Red... Hamas fighters deploy and take up positions ahead of Israeli Ofer Kalderon's release, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, as he is being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. More Abdel Kareem/AP Photo What To Know U.S. and Israeli delegations recalled their negotiating teams from Doha following Hamas's response to a proposal that included a 60-day truce, phased hostages release, and humanitarian aid entry. Witkoff, appointed by President Donald Trump, criticized Hamas for a lack of "good faith" in the negotiations. It remains unclear which sticking points in the negotiations led to the rift. Hamas, on the other hand, contradicted the "negative" comments from the U.S. envoy, saying that their position in the talks was positive, constructive and supported by the other mediators. The war has been fought since Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and with around 250 kidnapped into Gaza. Israel is now expanding ground operations and airstrikes across the strip and had killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza-run health ministry. Nearly 900 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to the military. Some 20 hostages are believed to be still alive. What People Are Saying Hamas in Arabic statement via Telegram: "The movement submitted its latest response after extensive consultations with Palestinian factions, mediators, and friendly countries, and responded positively to all the observations it received, reflecting a sincere commitment to the success of the mediators' efforts and constructive engagement with all presented initiatives. We express our surprise at the negative statements by the U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff towards the movement's position, at a time when the mediators expressed their welcome and satisfaction with this constructive and positive stance, which opens the door to reaching a comprehensive agreement." U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, as quoted by the Associated Press: "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." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in statement on X: "In light of the response conveyed by Hamas this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team for additional consultations in Israel. We appreciate the efforts by the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, and the efforts of envoy Witkoff, to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations." What Happens Next The U.S. is yet to clarify its alternative approach for securing the release of Israeli hostages and creating a more stable environment.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Europeans and Iran meet in Istanbul as the return of sanctions looms over nuclear deadlock
The return of sanctions, known as a 'snapback' mechanism, 'remains on the table,' according to a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. 'A possible delay in triggering snapback has been floated to the Iranians on the condition that there is credible diplomatic engagement by Iran, that they resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and that they address concerns about their highly-enriched uranium stockpile,' the diplomat said. European leaders have said sanctions will resume by the end of August if there is no progress on containing Iran's nuclear program. Advertisement Tehran, meanwhile, has said the U.S., which withdrew from the 2015 deal during President Donald Trump 's first term, needs to rebuild faith in its role in negotiations. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran's engagement was dependent on 'several key principles' that included 'rebuilding Iran's trust – as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States.' In a social media post Thursday, he also said the talks shouldn't be used 'as a platform for hidden agendas such as military action.' Gharibabadi insisted that Iran's right to enrich uranium 'in line with its legitimate needs' be respected and sanctions removed. Advertisement Iran has repeatedly threatened to leave the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which commits it to refrain from developing nuclear weapons, if sanctions return. Friday's talks were being held at the deputy ministerial level, with Iran sending Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. A similar meeting was held in Istanbul in May. The identity of the E3 representatives were not immediately clear but the European Union's deputy foreign policy commissioner was thought to be attending. The U.K., France and Germany were signatories to the 2015 deal, alongside the U.S., Russia and China. When the U.S. withdrew in 2018, Trump insisted the agreement wasn't tough enough. Under the original deal, neither Russia nor China can veto reimposed sanctions. Since the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, which saw American B-52 bombers hit three nuclear sites, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the E3 of hypocrisy, saying they failed to uphold their obligations while supporting Israel's attacks. Against the backdrop of the conflict, which saw Iran respond with missile attacks on Israel and a strike on a U.S. base in Qatar, the road ahead remains uncertain. While European officials have said they want to avoid further conflict and are open to a negotiated solution, they have warned that time is running out. Tehran maintains it is open to diplomacy, though it recently suspended cooperation with the IAEA. A central concern for Western powers was highlighted when the IAEA reported in May that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% – just below weapons-grade level – had grown to over 400 kilograms (882 pounds). Advertisement In an interview with Al Jazeera that aired Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is prepared for another war and reiterated that its nuclear program will continue within the framework of international law while adding the country had no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons. A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Thursday the country's nuclear industry would 'grow back and thrive again' after the recent attacks by Israel and the U.S. Vahdat reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writer Stephanie Lichtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Gaza Talks Stall as Israel, US Pull Negotiators
00:00 Earlier this week, there was some optimism that maybe we'd get a breakthrough on these ceasefire discussions. But there was no break for it. And in fact, it seems as though the talks once again have collapsed. So tell us the latest and why we think these these negotiations were not successful Yes, I think this definitely is a setback for these talks. There was a lot of optimism that if we weren't going to get a ceasefire announced this week, then then at least there would be a big breakthrough. And Donald Trump's main U.S. main envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Europe. And the expectation or the hope, at least among many people, was that he would travel to Qatar, where the key the key negotiators for Israel and Hamas are. And if he did, that would be a sign that a ceasefire was imminent. But he hasn't gone there. And then last night, Israel said it was recalling its negotiators in the U.S. with doing the same. It's a little bit unclear, but obviously what what happened was that Israel studied Hamas's latest response, which came on Wednesday, and it wasn't satisfied. And some Israeli media are saying that Hamas upped its demands for the number of Palestinians that must be released from Israeli jails as part of the 60 day truce that they're negotiating. So that could have been a stumbling block. We did have one person involved in the mediation tell us that this doesn't mean the talks have collapsed completely. And we also had an Israeli official expressing some optimism that they could still go on. But clearly, this this you know, this is yet another instance of these of these talks stalling. Yeah, a setback Yesterday, the French President Macron made a big statement saying that France will move to recognize Palestinian statehood as soon as September over in the UK. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is also under pressure to do the same. Why? Why now? What is it with this timing in particular? It's it's a good question. I think the bigger picture is that there's growing anger among world powers, especially in Western Europe. Well, in places like Western Europe and the Arab world over the continuation of the of the war in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation there, we had roughly 25 to 30 countries, including the UK and France and Japan and Norway and Australia, putting out a joint statement on on Monday in which they called for Israel to end the war immediately. And they said that the situation regarding supplies of food and and medicine to Gazans was and was horrific. And that's starvation was was growing. So that's the bigger picture. I think there's a lot of frustration in the rest of the world. Israel's relations with a lot of European countries have been severely damaged in recent months because because of all this and when it comes to Emmanuel Macron, he has been sort of among, let's say, key world powers, sort of at the forefront of saying he wants to recognize a Palestinian state and he's putting pressure on Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, to do the same for Israel in the U.S. This is that very kind of frustrated by this move and they say it will threaten Israel's security.
