Hamas pushes back on Trump and Witkoff's criticisms, demands US pressure Israel

Hamas rejected criticism from top U S personnel after ceasefire talks with Israel broke down earlier in the week We are appalled by the statements of U S President Trump and earlier by U S special envoy Witkoff which contradict the mediators' assessment of Hamas' position and are inconsistent with the actual progress of negotiations that had been acknowledged by mediators particularly Qatar and Egypt as they expressed satisfaction and appreciation for our serious and constructive stance Izzat Al-Rishq member of Hamas Movement s Political Bureau declared in a report Al-Rishq went on to claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s authorities was the real obstructionist to all agreements accusing Israeli functionaries of continuing to put up obstacles deceive and evade commitments He then demanded that the U S put more pressure on Israel to seriously engage in ending the aggression and achieving a prisoner exchange deal presumably referring to the remaining hostages in Gaza and Palestinians in Israeli prisons US PULLS CREW FROM CEASEFIRE TALKS IN QATAR AFTER ISRAEL DOES THE SAME CLAIMING HAMAS IS ACTING IN BAD FAITHThe Trump administration has spent months trying to end the war between Israel and Hamas with no resolution in sight Hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza dimmed further after the U S pulled its delegation out of Qatar U S Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff revealed in a report that this was because Hamas response to negotiations displayed a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza While the mediators have made a great effort Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable surroundings for the people of Gaza Witkoff revealed in a message Thursday Witkoff added that it was a shame Hamas has acted in such a selfish way and that the U S stands resolute in its efforts to bring permanent peace to the region HAMAS 'HARDENS' STANCE IN CEASEFIRE TALKS AS NETANYAHU RECALLS NEGOTIATION TEAMOn the same day the U S reported its negotiators would leave Qatar Netanyahu s office reported the Israeli organization would also withdraw citing Hamas response President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment in Hamas handling of the negotiations while speaking with press outside the White House on Friday He speculated that Hamas did not want to make a deal because they know what happens after you get the final hostages out of Gaza Hamas didn t really want to make a deal I think they want to die and it s very very bad Trump reported It got to be to a point where you re going to have to finish the job Qatar and Egypt which have acted as mediators in the talks issued a joint announcement on Friday in which the countries validated they would continue to work on securing a ceasefire The two countries in partnership with the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to continuing efforts toward reaching a comprehensive agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip Qatar and Egypt s joint message read While the breakdown of negotiations is a clear setback talks are expected to resume next week according to Reuters which cited Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV Fox News Digital s Alec Schemmel contributed to this description