JERUSALEM: Israel brought its delegation home from Gaza ceasefire talks for consultations on Thursday (Jul 24) after Hamas delivered a new response to a proposal for a truce and hostages deal.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office thanked mediators for their efforts and said the negotiators were returning home for “further consultations”. Earlier it said Israel was reviewing the response from Hamas.
Two sources familiar with the negotiations in Qatar said Israel’s decision to bring its delegation back home did not necessarily indicate a crisis in the talks.
A senior Hamas source told Reuters that there was still a chance of reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement but it would take a few days because of what he called Israeli stalling.
The source said Hamas’ response included requesting a clause that would prevent Israel from resuming the war if an agreement was not reached within the 60-day truce period.
Both sides are facing huge pressure at home and abroad to reach a deal, with the humanitarian conditions inside Gaza deteriorating sharply amidst widespread, acute hunger that has shocked the world.
A senior Israeli official was quoted by local media as saying the new text was something Israel could work with. However, Israel’s Channel 12 said a rapid deal was not within reach, with gaps remaining between the two sides, including over where the Israeli military should withdraw to during any truce.
A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters the latest Hamas position was “flexible, positive and took into consideration the growing suffering in Gaza and the need to stop the starvation”.
Dozens of people have starved to death in Gaza the last few weeks as a wave of hunger crashes on the Palestinian enclave, according to local health authorities. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday 21 children under the age of five were among those who died of malnutrition so far this year.
Later on Thursday, the Gaza health ministry said two more people had died of malnutrition. The head of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said the two were patients suffering from other illnesses who died after going without food for several days.
Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
It says it has let in enough food for Gaza’s 2.2 million people over the course of the war, and blames the United Nations for being slow to deliver it; the UN says it is operating as effectively as possible under conditions imposed by Israel.
Separately, US Middle East peace envoy Steve Witkoff said the Trump administration had also decided to bring home its delegation from the ceasefire talks in Doha for consultations.
“We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” Witkoff said in a post on X. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home.”
“Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” Witkoff added. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”
The decision signals growing frustration from Washington, which has invested heavily in the effort to broker a 60-day ceasefire agreement that would see hostages released and humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.
There was no immediate reaction from Hamas. An Israeli official with knowledge of the talks said Hamas’ response “does not allow for progress without a concession” by the group but that Israel intended to continue discussions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the suffering and starvation in Gaza was an “unspeakable and indefensible” humanitarian catastrophe and called on Israel to urgently let in aid. “While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,” Starmer said in a statement.
He will hold an emergency call with French and German partners on Friday to discuss what could be done to “stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need,” he said.
