President Donald Trump said on 25/7 that Hamas "really doesn't want to make a deal. I think they want to die," after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Doha, where indirect talks about a Gaza ceasefire were taking place.

Trump believes Hamas is unwilling to release hostages in Gaza because they don't want to lose their bargaining chip. "We got a lot of hostages out. Now we have the final hostages and they know what happens if we get those people home. That’s basically why they don't want to make a deal," he said.

Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, accused Hamas of a "lack of good faith" in the negotiations that ended on 24/7.

President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 25/7. Photo: AFP

President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 25/7. Photo: AFP

A senior Hamas official, Bassem Naim, countered that Witkoff misrepresented the talks and retracted agreed-upon points, adding that Witkoff was "serving the Israeli narrative."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the US are considering "alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s rule, and ensure long-term peace for Israel and the region." Witkoff confirmed that the US is also exploring alternatives, but did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating. Over 100 human rights and aid organizations warned this week of widespread famine. The United Nations (UN) reported that one in 5 children in Gaza City, the largest city in the territory, is malnourished.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on 25/7 criticized the international community for "ignoring the suffering" of Palestinians, calling it "a moral crisis challenging the world's conscience."

A joint statement from the UK, France, and Germany urged the Israeli government to "immediately lift restrictions on aid and allow the UN and humanitarian organizations to address the famine."

Israel denied responsibility for the crisis, despite the World Health Organization attributing it to "man-made" causes. Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in March, restricting aid access, and only partially eased it two months later.

Israel bypassed the UN-led aid distribution mechanism in favor of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), backed by Washington and Tel Aviv. Aid groups refuse to work with the GHF, claiming it serves Israeli military objectives.

Pham Giang (Via AFP)