Hamas says ceasefire talks expected to resume next week after U.S. and Israel recall negotiators
Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Friday that he was told an Israeli delegation would depart for consultations early next week. Previous talks had been held in Qatar. His comments come a day after the United States recalled its negotiating team from Qatar and after President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas' latest response to the negotiations showed a 'lack of desire' to reach a truce.
Witkoff said the U.S. will 'now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.' He did not elaborate on what those options might be.
Earlier on Thursday Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's office also recalled his negotiating team in light of Hamas' response. In a brief statement, Netanyahu's office expressed appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and the other mediators, Qatar and Egypt, but gave no further details.
A breakthrough on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration as humanitarian conditions worsen in Gaza. Israel has come under mounting pressure for the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reports of people dying from causes related to malnutrition.
In recent days more then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state, saying, 'The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″
Hamas said that Witkoff's remarks were meant to pressure the group for Netanyahu's benefit during the next round of talks and that in recent days negotiations had made progress. Naim said several gaps had been nearly solved, such as the agenda of the ceasefire, guarantees to continue negotiating to reach a permanent agreement and how humanitarian aid would be delivered.
Israel's government didn't immediately respond to whether negotiations would resume next week.
The 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.
The deal under discussion is expected to include an initial 60-day 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 ceasefire.
The 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 conflict until Hamas gives up power and disarms. The militant group says it is prepared to leave power but not surrender its weapons.
Hamas 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 approach.
Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza but fewer than half are believed to be alive. Their families say the start-stop talks are excruciating.
'I thought that maybe something will come from the time that the negotiation, Israeli team were in Doha,' said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is being held hostage. 'And when I heard that they're coming back, I ask myself: When will this nightmare end?'
Meanwhile Israeli strikes continued across Gaza.
At least 22 people were killed since Thursday night, according to hospital records at Nasser Hospital where the bodies arrived. Some were killed in strikes, others and others were killed while seeking aid, said the hospital.
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