International concern grows over Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with accusations of a 'man-made' hunger crisis. Photo / AFP
The United States has joined Israel in pulling its negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks, with special envoy Steve Witkoff blaming Hamas for failing to reach a deal and saying Washington would “consider alternative options”.
France meanwhile announced it would formally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, a move President Emmanuel Macron said can “contribute to the security of all in the Middle East”.
In Qatar, mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations for more than two weeks in a bid to secure a breakthrough in indirect talks for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages after nearly two years of fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier his government was still seeking a ceasefire despite recalling its negotiators from indirect talks in Qatar, also accusing Hamas of blocking an end to nearly two years of fighting.
Pressure is mounting over the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings that “mass starvation” was spreading.
After Hamas submitted its response to mediators on the latest ceasefire proposal, Netanyahu’s office said Israeli negotiators were returning for consultations.
“We are working to reach another deal for the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a speech.
“But if Hamas interprets our willingness to reach a deal as a weakness, as an opportunity to dictate surrender terms that would endanger the State of Israel, it is gravely mistaken.”
Witkoff accused Hamas of not “acting in good faith” and said the United States was bringing home its team.
Hamas’ response “clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza”, Witkoff said in a post on social media.
Washington would 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,” he added.
A Palestinian source familiar with the talks told AFP earlier that Hamas’ response included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw, and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war.
In Khan Yunis, in Gaza’s south, Umm al-Abd Nassar urged Hamas to secure a truce after her son was killed in one of a series of Israeli air strikes that the civil defence agency said killed dozens of civilians.
“They need to do something. Enough with this destruction and people dying,” she told AFP.
Israel has rejected accusations it is responsible for Gaza’s deepening hunger crisis, which the World Health Organization has called “man-made” and France blamed on an Israeli “blockade”.
Instead, it accuses Hamas of preventing supplies from being distributed, and says international relief agencies were failing to pick up aid.
Aid agencies have said permissions from Israel are still limited, and coordination to safely move trucks to where they are needed is a major challenge in an active war zone.
Announcing the decision to recognise a Palestinian state, Macron said that “the urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and rescue the civilian population”.
Palestinian statehood is now recognised by more than 140 countries, though Israel and the United States strongly oppose recognition.
France would be the most significant European power to recognise a Palestinian state.
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed France’s “support for... self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would hold an “emergency call” on Friday with France and Germany on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, urging a ceasefire and steps towards Palestinian statehood.
“We will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need,” Starmer said.
“A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.”
Through more than 21 months of fighting, both Israel and Hamas have clung to long-held positions, preventing two short-lived truces from being converted into a lasting ceasefire.
For Israel, dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,587 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
– Agence France-Presse