Hamas "didn't really want to make a deal" on a new Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, Trump said after the U.S. and Israel pulled negotiations from Qatar.

US mediators are heading home after Hamas allegedly showed a lackluster effort to reach a cease-fire deal with Israel on Thursday, President Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said.

On Friday, after weeks of cease-fire talks in Doha, Qatar, and expressions of optimism from the White House that a deal was imminent, Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams.

The breakdown in discussions came after there had been optimism that a deal could be reached, as President Trump had pushed to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a 60-day cease-fire in recent weeks.

Then, cease-fire talks broke down last week, with the U.S. and Israel blaming Hamas. The breakdown showed that Netanyahu’s tactics hadn’t yet brought Hamas to heel.

In the talks over Gaza, the issues have centered on the areas where Israel’s military would redeploy and the terms of prisoner swaps. On Thursday morning, Hamas responded to the latest Israeli ...

Hamas has reportedly taken steps to fend off possible Israeli military plans aimed at rescuing the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza.

Israel is considering “ alternative options ” to cease-fire talks with Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, though he did not elaborate on what those alternatives ...