The US and Israel recalled negotiators from Qatar on Thursday after the latest discussions with Hamas failed to yield a ceasefire deal.
The US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US is now considering “alternative options” to liberate the remaining hostages after he accused Hamas of failing to act in "good faith".
“We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” Mr Witkoff said in a statement. "It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way."
He added that the US would now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and "try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza". Mr Witkoff did not provide any additional details.
Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it too was bringing negotiators home. "In light of the response Hamas provided this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team to continue consultations in Israel", the office said.
Hamas didn't say what that response was, but negotiators have been studying maps presented by Israel of where its troops might remain posted in Gaza. Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Qatar for more than two weeks but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield a truce.
Separate talks had been scheduled in Rome on Thursday between Mr Witkoff, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, sources told The National.
The sources said one of the issues at the top of the agenda in Rome was US and Israeli guarantees that Hamas leaders who leave the enclave with their families will not be pursued in exile. They will also discuss the period of time they will need to spend living abroad before being able to return to Gaza.
Ceasefire talks had also centred on proposed release of several high-profile Palestinians held in Israeli jails as part of the deal. Hamas had also called on Israel to release the bodies of the group's late leader Yahya Sinwar and other top officials killed by Israel during the 21-month-old war.
The sources said Hamas’s demand for a long-term ceasefire was no longer on the table. Instead, the US had moved to guarantee at least one equal extension of the 60-day truce when it expires to allow for more discussions on the political and security arrangements in Gaza after the war.
Hamas has already said it would not be part of governing or rebuilding Gaza and suggested it was open to laying down its arms and storing them under international supervision when a long-term ceasefire is in effect.
Both sides are facing huge pressure at home and abroad to reach an agreement, with the humanitarian conditions inside Gaza deteriorating sharply amid widespread acute hunger that has shocked the world.
A senior Israeli official was quoted by local media as saying the new Hamas response was something Israel could work with. However, Israel's Channel 12 said a rapid deal was not in reach, with gaps remaining between the two sides including over where the Israeli army should withdraw to during any truce.
A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters the latest Hamas position was “flexible, positive and took into consideration the growing suffering in Gaza and the need to stop the starvation”.
The Gaza war was sparked when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking another 250 hostage. Israel's response has been a devastating military campaign that has to date killed close to 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Most of Gaza's estimated 2.2 million residents have been displaced by the war, more than once in many cases, and large built-up areas have been reduced to rubble.
If the latest round of negotiations yields a truce, it would be the third ceasefire since the war began. A two-month break in the fighting collapsed on March 18, when Israel resumed military operations, killing some 400 people on the first day. A week-long truce ended on December 1, 2023.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
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Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
