President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said late on Thursday the U.S. was cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing home its negotiating team from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas “shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Witkoff’s announcement came while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is working to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas but that it can’t be taken as a weakness.
“But if Hamas perceives our willingness to reach a deal as a weakness, as an opportunity to dictate lines of defeat that will endanger Israel, it is greatly mistaken,” Netanyahu said while attending the state memorial ceremony for Ze’ev Jabotinsky on the 85th anniversary of his death. Ze’ev Jabotinsky is considered the spiritual father of the Israeli right and worked closely with Netanyahu’s father on promoting Zionism in the US.
Netanyahu’s office recalled the negotiating team back to Israel in light of Hamas’ response Thursday morning.
In a brief statement, the prime minister’s office expressed its appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and mediators Qatar and Egypt, but gave no further details.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has led to mounting international pressure on both parties to put an end to the conflict.
Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries have led to “man-made mass starvation”, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday.
The United Nations and other organisations have also warned of famine conditions, and Gaza’s health ministry said that 33 Palestinians had died from malnutrition within 48 hours in the past week.
Source: Africanews
