US cuts short Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas, explores alternative options for Israeli hostages
Special envoy Steve Witkoff flagged that the US will now consider alternative options to bring Israeli hostages home.
'While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,' Mr Witkoff said.
He said it was 'a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way' and that the US is 'resolute' in seeking an end to the conflict in Gaza.
A breakthrough in talks on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza.
The territory recently had its deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food on Sunday.
Dozens of people have starved to death in recent weeks in Gaza.
The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs.
Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place.
Earlier Thursday, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's office recalled his country's negotiating team back to Israel in light of Hamas' response.
In a brief statement, the Prime Minister's office expressed its appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and mediators Qatar and Egypt, but it gave no further details.
The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce.
The talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war.
Hamas says it will only release all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war.
Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas gives up power and disarms, a condition the militant group rejects.
The State Department said earlier in the week that Witkoff would be travelling to the Middle East for talks, but US officials later said that Witkoff would instead travel to Europe.
It was unclear if he was holding meetings there on Thursday.
Mr Trump earlier this month met Netanyahu at the White House, putting his weight behind a push to reach a breakthrough and a ceasefire agreement.
But despite his newly strengthened partnership with Netanyahu following their countries' joint strikes on Iran, the Israeli leader left Washington without any announced breakthrough.
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The Advertiser
32 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Hiroshima's shadow over Gaza: what have we learned?
On August 6, the world pauses to remember. We think about the blinding flash over Hiroshima, the mushroom cloud that became a symbol of human destruction, and the immense suffering of people. We said "Never Again". We observe another Hiroshima Day amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, the connections between 1945 and 2025 are striking. Similarities lie in the systematic erasure of civilian humanity. The atomic bombings weren't just military attacks, they were acts of mass destruction aimed at entire populations. The logic prioritised strategic goals over the value of innocent life. In Gaza, we see a similar calculation using conventional weapons. The civilian death toll, more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, shows this is not about isolated accidents. It reflects a relentless campaign in populated areas. Homes, hospitals and vital infrastructure destroyed. Collateral damage, a term often used to dehumanise civilians caught in a war zone. Before Hiroshima, propaganda portrayed the Japanese as subhuman fanatics. Narratives to destroy empathy, making the intolerable appear acceptable. Palestinians in Gaza experience a similar process. Grouped together, stripped of individual stories and pain, reduced to numbers or abstract threats. Their suffering is downplayed, their deaths justified, and their right to exist questioned. This dehumanisation creates the emotional distance necessary for inflicting and accepting immense suffering. The faces of children pulled from rubble resemble the haunting images of burned children in Hiroshima, the moral disconnect should shatter this distance. Yet, too often, it hasn't. The destruction the weaponisation of the environment is another similarity. Hiroshima was more than a bombing, it was an environmental disaster, leaving radioactive scars for generations. Gaza now faces a man-made environmental crisis. Basic necessities, food, water, medicine, are a daily struggle. It's not just warfare; its a violation of human dignity. Hiroshima Day urges us to confront the risk of unchecked power. The bomb symbolised technological dominance used without effective restraint. Today we look on, paralysed, as one of the most powerful militaries operates in Gaza with impunity. Calls for ceasefires ignored, UN resolutions unenforced, rulings from the ICJ demanding the prevention of a genocide disregarded. The frameworks established after World War II to stop atrocities and uphold humanitarian law appear weak, if not completely broken. The lesson that absolute power needs absolute accountability remains unlearned. Hiroshima is a stark warning about nuclear weapons. Unlike Hamas, Israel has a significant undeclared nuclear arsenal. The existence of these weapons casts a long shadow. The potential for escalation, the temptation in extreme situations, and the terror they induce raise the stakes dramatically. Remembering Hiroshima is not just about looking back, it's a plea to prevent any future use of these weapons of destruction. The ongoing violence in Gaza, fuelled by deep trauma and unresolved injustice, emphasises how dangerously close the world remains to the brink that Hiroshima revealed. What does Hiroshima Day call for today?: 1. An immediate, sustained ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access. The killing must stop. 2. Violations of international humanitarian law by any party must be thoroughly investigated, and consequences imposed. Justice is essential for any future peace. 3. International Humanitarian Law must be defended and it must be strengthened. 4. Lasting peace requires tackling the ongoing injustices: occupation, blockade, displacement, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination. 5. Australia must sign the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The victims of Hiroshima were sacrificed at the end of a war. The victims of Gaza are being sacrificed in an endless conflict, with the same toxic mix of dehumanisation and unchecked power. Hiroshima Day honours our past. Its also a critique of our failures. The images from 1945 and 2025 aren't separate tragedies, they are parts of our struggle to recognise humankind's sacred value. "Never Again" is not just a memorial statement. It is a call to act before Gaza becomes another Hiroshima in our shared conscience. On August 6, the world pauses to remember. We think about the blinding flash over Hiroshima, the mushroom cloud that became a symbol of human destruction, and the immense suffering of people. We said "Never Again". We observe another Hiroshima Day amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, the connections between 1945 and 2025 are striking. Similarities lie in the systematic erasure of civilian humanity. The atomic bombings weren't just military attacks, they were acts of mass destruction aimed at entire populations. The logic prioritised strategic goals over the value of innocent life. In Gaza, we see a similar calculation using conventional weapons. The civilian death toll, more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, shows this is not about isolated accidents. It reflects a relentless campaign in populated areas. Homes, hospitals and vital infrastructure destroyed. Collateral damage, a term often used to dehumanise civilians caught in a war zone. Before Hiroshima, propaganda portrayed the Japanese as subhuman fanatics. Narratives to destroy empathy, making the intolerable appear acceptable. Palestinians in Gaza experience a similar process. Grouped together, stripped of individual stories and pain, reduced to numbers or abstract threats. Their suffering is downplayed, their deaths justified, and their right to exist questioned. This dehumanisation creates the emotional distance necessary for inflicting and accepting immense suffering. The faces of children pulled from rubble resemble the haunting images of burned children in Hiroshima, the moral disconnect should shatter this distance. Yet, too often, it hasn't. The destruction the weaponisation of the environment is another similarity. Hiroshima was more than a bombing, it was an environmental disaster, leaving radioactive scars for generations. Gaza now faces a man-made environmental crisis. Basic necessities, food, water, medicine, are a daily struggle. It's not just warfare; its a violation of human dignity. Hiroshima Day urges us to confront the risk of unchecked power. The bomb symbolised technological dominance used without effective restraint. Today we look on, paralysed, as one of the most powerful militaries operates in Gaza with impunity. Calls for ceasefires ignored, UN resolutions unenforced, rulings from the ICJ demanding the prevention of a genocide disregarded. The frameworks established after World War II to stop atrocities and uphold humanitarian law appear weak, if not completely broken. The lesson that absolute power needs absolute accountability remains unlearned. Hiroshima is a stark warning about nuclear weapons. Unlike Hamas, Israel has a significant undeclared nuclear arsenal. The existence of these weapons casts a long shadow. The potential for escalation, the temptation in extreme situations, and the terror they induce raise the stakes dramatically. Remembering Hiroshima is not just about looking back, it's a plea to prevent any future use of these weapons of destruction. The ongoing violence in Gaza, fuelled by deep trauma and unresolved injustice, emphasises how dangerously close the world remains to the brink that Hiroshima revealed. What does Hiroshima Day call for today?: 1. An immediate, sustained ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access. The killing must stop. 2. Violations of international humanitarian law by any party must be thoroughly investigated, and consequences imposed. Justice is essential for any future peace. 3. International Humanitarian Law must be defended and it must be strengthened. 4. Lasting peace requires tackling the ongoing injustices: occupation, blockade, displacement, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination. 5. Australia must sign the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The victims of Hiroshima were sacrificed at the end of a war. The victims of Gaza are being sacrificed in an endless conflict, with the same toxic mix of dehumanisation and unchecked power. Hiroshima Day honours our past. Its also a critique of our failures. The images from 1945 and 2025 aren't separate tragedies, they are parts of our struggle to recognise humankind's sacred value. "Never Again" is not just a memorial statement. It is a call to act before Gaza becomes another Hiroshima in our shared conscience. On August 6, the world pauses to remember. We think about the blinding flash over Hiroshima, the mushroom cloud that became a symbol of human destruction, and the immense suffering of people. We said "Never Again". We observe another Hiroshima Day amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, the connections between 1945 and 2025 are striking. Similarities lie in the systematic erasure of civilian humanity. The atomic bombings weren't just military attacks, they were acts of mass destruction aimed at entire populations. The logic prioritised strategic goals over the value of innocent life. In Gaza, we see a similar calculation using conventional weapons. The civilian death toll, more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, shows this is not about isolated accidents. It reflects a relentless campaign in populated areas. Homes, hospitals and vital infrastructure destroyed. Collateral damage, a term often used to dehumanise civilians caught in a war zone. Before Hiroshima, propaganda portrayed the Japanese as subhuman fanatics. Narratives to destroy empathy, making the intolerable appear acceptable. Palestinians in Gaza experience a similar process. Grouped together, stripped of individual stories and pain, reduced to numbers or abstract threats. Their suffering is downplayed, their deaths justified, and their right to exist questioned. This dehumanisation creates the emotional distance necessary for inflicting and accepting immense suffering. The faces of children pulled from rubble resemble the haunting images of burned children in Hiroshima, the moral disconnect should shatter this distance. Yet, too often, it hasn't. The destruction the weaponisation of the environment is another similarity. Hiroshima was more than a bombing, it was an environmental disaster, leaving radioactive scars for generations. Gaza now faces a man-made environmental crisis. Basic necessities, food, water, medicine, are a daily struggle. It's not just warfare; its a violation of human dignity. Hiroshima Day urges us to confront the risk of unchecked power. The bomb symbolised technological dominance used without effective restraint. Today we look on, paralysed, as one of the most powerful militaries operates in Gaza with impunity. Calls for ceasefires ignored, UN resolutions unenforced, rulings from the ICJ demanding the prevention of a genocide disregarded. The frameworks established after World War II to stop atrocities and uphold humanitarian law appear weak, if not completely broken. The lesson that absolute power needs absolute accountability remains unlearned. Hiroshima is a stark warning about nuclear weapons. Unlike Hamas, Israel has a significant undeclared nuclear arsenal. The existence of these weapons casts a long shadow. The potential for escalation, the temptation in extreme situations, and the terror they induce raise the stakes dramatically. Remembering Hiroshima is not just about looking back, it's a plea to prevent any future use of these weapons of destruction. The ongoing violence in Gaza, fuelled by deep trauma and unresolved injustice, emphasises how dangerously close the world remains to the brink that Hiroshima revealed. What does Hiroshima Day call for today?: 1. An immediate, sustained ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access. The killing must stop. 2. Violations of international humanitarian law by any party must be thoroughly investigated, and consequences imposed. Justice is essential for any future peace. 3. International Humanitarian Law must be defended and it must be strengthened. 4. Lasting peace requires tackling the ongoing injustices: occupation, blockade, displacement, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination. 5. Australia must sign the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The victims of Hiroshima were sacrificed at the end of a war. The victims of Gaza are being sacrificed in an endless conflict, with the same toxic mix of dehumanisation and unchecked power. Hiroshima Day honours our past. Its also a critique of our failures. The images from 1945 and 2025 aren't separate tragedies, they are parts of our struggle to recognise humankind's sacred value. "Never Again" is not just a memorial statement. It is a call to act before Gaza becomes another Hiroshima in our shared conscience. On August 6, the world pauses to remember. We think about the blinding flash over Hiroshima, the mushroom cloud that became a symbol of human destruction, and the immense suffering of people. We said "Never Again". We observe another Hiroshima Day amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, the connections between 1945 and 2025 are striking. Similarities lie in the systematic erasure of civilian humanity. The atomic bombings weren't just military attacks, they were acts of mass destruction aimed at entire populations. The logic prioritised strategic goals over the value of innocent life. In Gaza, we see a similar calculation using conventional weapons. The civilian death toll, more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, shows this is not about isolated accidents. It reflects a relentless campaign in populated areas. Homes, hospitals and vital infrastructure destroyed. Collateral damage, a term often used to dehumanise civilians caught in a war zone. Before Hiroshima, propaganda portrayed the Japanese as subhuman fanatics. Narratives to destroy empathy, making the intolerable appear acceptable. Palestinians in Gaza experience a similar process. Grouped together, stripped of individual stories and pain, reduced to numbers or abstract threats. Their suffering is downplayed, their deaths justified, and their right to exist questioned. This dehumanisation creates the emotional distance necessary for inflicting and accepting immense suffering. The faces of children pulled from rubble resemble the haunting images of burned children in Hiroshima, the moral disconnect should shatter this distance. Yet, too often, it hasn't. The destruction the weaponisation of the environment is another similarity. Hiroshima was more than a bombing, it was an environmental disaster, leaving radioactive scars for generations. Gaza now faces a man-made environmental crisis. Basic necessities, food, water, medicine, are a daily struggle. It's not just warfare; its a violation of human dignity. Hiroshima Day urges us to confront the risk of unchecked power. The bomb symbolised technological dominance used without effective restraint. Today we look on, paralysed, as one of the most powerful militaries operates in Gaza with impunity. Calls for ceasefires ignored, UN resolutions unenforced, rulings from the ICJ demanding the prevention of a genocide disregarded. The frameworks established after World War II to stop atrocities and uphold humanitarian law appear weak, if not completely broken. The lesson that absolute power needs absolute accountability remains unlearned. Hiroshima is a stark warning about nuclear weapons. Unlike Hamas, Israel has a significant undeclared nuclear arsenal. The existence of these weapons casts a long shadow. The potential for escalation, the temptation in extreme situations, and the terror they induce raise the stakes dramatically. Remembering Hiroshima is not just about looking back, it's a plea to prevent any future use of these weapons of destruction. The ongoing violence in Gaza, fuelled by deep trauma and unresolved injustice, emphasises how dangerously close the world remains to the brink that Hiroshima revealed. What does Hiroshima Day call for today?: 1. An immediate, sustained ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access. The killing must stop. 2. Violations of international humanitarian law by any party must be thoroughly investigated, and consequences imposed. Justice is essential for any future peace. 3. International Humanitarian Law must be defended and it must be strengthened. 4. Lasting peace requires tackling the ongoing injustices: occupation, blockade, displacement, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination. 5. Australia must sign the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The victims of Hiroshima were sacrificed at the end of a war. The victims of Gaza are being sacrificed in an endless conflict, with the same toxic mix of dehumanisation and unchecked power. Hiroshima Day honours our past. Its also a critique of our failures. The images from 1945 and 2025 aren't separate tragedies, they are parts of our struggle to recognise humankind's sacred value. "Never Again" is not just a memorial statement. It is a call to act before Gaza becomes another Hiroshima in our shared conscience.
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