Only a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump seemed confident a deal was days away that would end the fighting in Gaza, secure the release of hostages and allow aid to flow into an enclave where people are starving to death.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Israeli and Qatari officials as the Trump administration works to secure a deal to end the war in Gaza.

Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said on Friday. The deal was “embraced” by Turkey, Jordan and other neighboring countries, the ambassador, who also serves as the US special envoy to Syria, said in a post on X.

Airdrops into Gaza have previously been criticized as insufficient and impractical. The United Nations has called for an urgent ceasefire, though talks appeared Friday to have collapsed.

Negotiators from both sides have been holding indirect talks in Doha with mediators in an attempt to reach an agreement on a truce deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages

The talks will be the first since a ceasefire was reached after a 12-day war waged by Israel against Iran in June.