Egyptian officials report that three days of negotiations between Hamas and Israel to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages have failed to find a middle ground.
The news comes less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month, Ramadan, intended as an informal deadline for a deal.
After nearly five months of fighting, Gaza is in devastating ruins, and the humanitarian catastrophe only seems to be worsening, with Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinian population facing starvation and scrambling for food to survive.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the situation "unacceptable and unsustainable."
"Israel has to maximize every possible means, every possible method, of getting assistance to people who need it," he said, calling for more aid to be let in and ensuring it gets delivered.
Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have attempted to broker an agreement for weeks now in which Hamas would release up to 40 hostages in return for a six-week ceasefire and Israel's release of several Palestinian prisoners, as well as Israel to allow desperate humanitarian aid into the isolated enclave.
Two Egyptian officials confirmed the latest round of discussions ended Tuesday. Hamas allegedly presented a proposal for mediators to discuss with Israel in the coming days.
One official revealed mediators will be meeting with the Hamas delegation who have remained in Cairo.
The Associated Press reports Hamas' refusal to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds and the remains of roughly 30 more until Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza, and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants serving life sentences.
U.S. officials are skeptical of Hamas' intention to broker a deal as the group has dismissed several of what the U.S. and others believe are legitimate requests.
"It is on Hamas to make decisions about whether it is prepared to engage," Blinken said Tuesday.
"We have an opportunity for an immediate cease-fire that can bring hostages home, that can dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian aid getting in to Palestinians who so desperately need it, and can set the conditions for an enduring resolution," Blinken said.
Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha said the negotiations are still on the table, but "the ball is in the Israeli court."
Taha said Israel has thus far refused Hamas' demands for Palestinians who fled northern Gaza to be allowed to return to their homes with a guarantee of a long-term ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
"Hamas is open to proposals and initiatives that are consistent with its position calling for a cease-fire, withdrawal, the return of the displaced, the entry of relief convoys, and reconstruction," Taha said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected demands from Hamas and strongly vows to continue the war until the group is dismantled and all the hostages are released. That being said, Israel did not send a delegation to the latest round of talks.
According to the AP, an Israel official said Israel is still waiting for Hamas to hand over a list of hostages who are alive and the hostage-to-prisoner ratio it seeks in any release deal.
It remains unclear whether this information was included in the most recent proposal.
In a sign of the growing divide within Israel's government, Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu's War Cabinet and Netanyahu's main political rival, traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. senior officials. The trip immediately drew criticism from the prime minister, who claimed the trip was organized without his knowledge or permission.
Mediators had initially hoped to facilitate an agreement before Ramadan. The month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, charity, and reflection often sees heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions over limited access to major holy sites in Jerusalem. Depending on the sighting of the moon, Ramadan is expected to start around March 10.
"The negotiations are sensitive. I can't say there is optimism or pessimism, but we haven't yet reached a point at which we can achieve a cease-fire," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Monday.
"These Tragic And Horrific Deaths Are Man-made, Predictable, And Entirely Preventable"
The Palestinian death toll has exceeded 30,000 since the start of the war, and the U.N. children's agency confirmed the death of 10 children in northern Gaza due to extreme hydration and malnutrition.
"There are likely more children fighting for their lives somewhere in one of Gaza's few remaining hospitals, and likely even more children in the north unable to obtain care at all," Adele Khodr, the UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.
"These tragic and horrific deaths are man-made, predictable, and entirely preventable," she added.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 15 children starved to death at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, and another six were at risk of dying from malnutrition and dehydration.
Northern Gaza, Israel's first offensive target, continues to suffer mass devastation, with The World Food Program recently suspending aid shipments to the north, citing a security breakdown.
An attempt to allow aid into the territory last week resulted in a tragic massacre when over 100 Palestinians were fatally shot by Israeli forces.
Up to 300,000 Palestinians are known to have remained in northern Gaza after Israel ordered the evacuation of the entire region, including Gaza City, in October.
Palestinians have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive, and the U.N. says one in six children under the age of two suffer from acute malnutrition.
Israel is still carrying out airstrikes in all parts of Gaza and maintains its threat to expand its ground offensive to the southernmost city of Rafah, where around half of Gaza's population has sought refuge.
Gantz has promised the Rafah operation could begin as soon as Ramadan if there is no deal on the hostages.
