Tel Aviv, Israel — Efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza collapsed this week as both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly pulled their envoys from mediation talks in Doha, dealing a catastrophic blow to hopes of ending the war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and Gaza on the brink of famine.
The decision to walk away from negotiations marks a stunning reversal for both leaders, who just weeks ago appeared to signal openness to a conditional truce framework brokered by Qatar and Egypt. Instead, the latest round of talks disintegrated under the weight of political theatrics, shifting blame, and hardened ultimatums.
President Trump, speaking at a campaign-style rally in Florida, accused Hamas of sabotaging the process. “They didn’t want to make a deal,” he said, adding that its leadership would now be “hunted down.” Netanyahu echoed that sentiment, accusing the Palestinian resistance group of “intransigence” while vowing to explore “alternative paths” to achieve Israel’s objectives — namely, the release of hostages and the total dismantling of Hamas’s political and military infrastructure.
The talks, which had aimed to secure a 60-day pause in fighting, the phased release of Israeli hostages, and expanded humanitarian access to Gaza, faltered over two core issues: Hamas’s demand for a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s refusal to commit to anything beyond a temporary lull. Mediators hoped to bridge that gap with staggered timelines and international guarantees, but neither party appeared willing to compromise.
Hamas, for its part, maintained that it had submitted a “serious and detailed” proposal, including maps and humanitarian corridors, and accused the U.S. and Israel of undermining diplomacy for political gain. A spokesperson for the group claimed the Israeli delegation left Doha “with no explanation” and called the withdrawal “a signal that they were never serious to begin with.”
The timing of the collapse is no accident. The Netanyahu government is under mounting pressure from far-right coalition partners to resume full-scale military operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, Trump, deep into his re-election campaign, has pivoted to hardline foreign policy rhetoric, attempting to position himself as a wartime leader willing to “finish the job” others left undone.
The humanitarian toll continues to soar. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Aid organizations, including the United Nations and Doctors Without Borders, have warned of widespread starvation, with half the population facing acute food insecurity and an entire generation of children growing up under siege.
Despite the breakdown, mediators in Qatar and Egypt have signaled that backchannel communications remain open. Some diplomats believe the current freeze is more tactical than permanent — a pressure campaign to force Hamas into more concessions under threat of renewed bombardment.
Still, the withdrawal of both the U.S. and Israeli delegations appears to have recalibrated the political calculus toward escalation rather than compromise.
According to Reuters, the official collapse of the ceasefire negotiations occurred on July 25 after both Trump and Netanyahu signaled they no longer believed a deal with Hamas was possible, citing the group’s “bad faith” conduct. The Israeli prime minister now reportedly plans to shift focus to unilateral strategies, including further military campaigns, to achieve what he calls “total victory” in Gaza.
