Trump says Hamas 'didn't want deal' as US and Israel leave Gaza talks

A Palestinian woman walks past damaged buildings after an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip

US President Donald Trump has said Hamas "didn't really want to make a deal" on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar.

US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday night that the response by the Palestinian armed group to the latest proposal showed "a lack of desire".

He added "alternative options" to bring home the hostages still held by Hamas would be considered - something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed.

There was no immediate Hamas response to Trump's comments, but the group earlier expressed surprise about what it called Witkoff's "negative" remarks, and an official said the group had been told Israeli negotiators would return to Doha next week.

All sides involved in the talks - including the mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt - acknowledge that wide gaps remain on key issues, including Israeli troop withdrawals, aid distribution, and a permanent cessation of hostilities.

In his statement announcing the withdrawal of the US team from Doha, Witkoff said: "While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be co-ordinated 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.

"It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza."

Netanyahu's office had earlier said in a statement that Israeli negotiators would leave Qatar for additional consultations "in light of the response conveyed by Hamas", but it did not give any more details.

A senior Israeli official in Doha - speaking on the condition of anonymity - later briefed Israeli journalists that there was "no explosion, no collapse" in the talks, the Times of Israel reported.

But the official did criticise what they called Hamas's "rejectionist and unfortunate approach", saying its latest response did "not allow progress without a shift" in the group's positions.

On Friday afternoon, Netanyahu wrote on X: "Witkoff got it right. Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal."

"Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas's terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region."

At around the same time, Trump told reporters outside the White House: "It was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die."

He added: "Now we're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages. And basically because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal."

There was no immediate response from Hamas, but the group said in a statement early on Friday that it was "surprised by the negative statements" from Witkoff on its position.

"The movement affirms its keenness to continue negotiations and engage in them in a manner that helps overcome obstacles and leads to a permanent ceasefire agreement," it added.

A senior Hamas official later told the BBC that the mediators had informed the group that the negotiations had not collapsed.

They said the mediators had also conveyed that the Israeli delegation was expected to return to Doha next week, though no specific date had been set.

The two sides have been unable to reach agreement on a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that would see the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages by Hamas and the bodies of 18 other hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Fifty hostages are still being held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

A senior Palestinian official told the BBC on Wednesday that their latest response focused primarily on three key issues: the mechanism for the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza, maps detailing the withdrawal of Israeli troops from territory they have captured, and a guarantee that the ceasefire would lead to a permanent end to the war.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel said on Thursday afternoon that the hostages' relatives were deeply concerned by the return of the Israeli negotiators.

"The negotiations have dragged on for far too long. Each day that passes endangers the hostages' chances of recovery and risks losing the ability to locate the fallen or gain vital intelligence about them," it added.

On Thursday night, large rallies took place in Israel urging the government to seal a deal to return all 50 of the remaining hostages.

Vicky Cohen, the mother of 21-year-old hostage Nimrod Cohen, told thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv's Habima Square: "The leaders of the state are insisting with all their might on partial deals that could leave Nimrod behind."

She continued: "Some elected officials are even calling to give up on Nimrod, an [Israeli] soldier. There is one thing that separates us from Nimrod: the end of the war."

Meanwhile, Netanyahu distanced the government from far-right Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu's claim that it was "rushing to wipe out Gaza" instead of rushing to agree a hostage release deal.

"We are erasing this evil, and erasing the population that was educated on Mein Kampf," Eliyahu claimed in an interview with radio station Kol Barama on Thursday.

He also declared that "all of Gaza will be Jewish".

In response, Netanyahu said: "Minister Amichay Eliyahu does not speak for the government I lead. He is not a member of the security cabinet that determines the conduct of the war."

In Gaza, humanitarian conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

The UN and its partners have warned of man-made, mass starvation taking hold.

The Hamas-run health ministry said on Friday that nine more people had died of causes related to malnutrition in the last 24 hours, which increased to 57 the total reported so far this month.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that its staff in Gaza were receiving an increasing number of malnourished patients at our clinics, while they themselves struggle to find sufficient food.

Across screenings of children aged six months to five years old and pregnant and breastfeeding women at MSF facilities last week, 25% were malnourished, it said.

Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into Gaza, has said it is not responsible for food shortages and blamed Hamas.

Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the group to release its remaining Israeli hostages.

Although the blockade was partially eased after almost two months, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, the shortages of food, medicine and fuel have worsened.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 59,676 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.