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.

Four leading news organizations say their journalists in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation as the Israel-Hamas war grinds on.

The United States withdrew from Gaza ceasefire negotiations on Thursday (local time), alongside Israel, after indirect talks failed to yield progress. Special envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Hamas for the collapse and said Washington would now “consider alternative options”.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Europe and possibly Middle East for meetings on issues including the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Senior Hamas officials in Doha are reportedly inclined to support the deal on the table, but no response has been received from Hamas's military leadership in Gaza, N12 noted. Israel, the US, Qatar, and Egypt are still waiting for Hamas's response to the proposed hostage and ceasefire deal presented by mediators last week,

Hamas is reportedly campaigning on the issue of food insecurity to try to get rid of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as part of the hostage negotiations.

Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.