First indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks end inconclusively amid Gaza hunger crisis

The first session of indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks in Qatar ended inconclusively, two Palestinian sources familiar with the matter told Reuters early on Monday, adding that the Israeli delegation didn't have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas.

The talks resumed on Sunday, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third visit to the White House since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January.

"After the first session of indirect negotiations in Doha, the Israeli delegation is not sufficiently authorized to reach an agreement with Hamas, as it has no real powers," the sources told Reuters.

Before his departure to Washington, Netanyahu said that Israeli negotiators taking part in the ceasefire talks have clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions that Israel has accepted.

As for his trip to the U.S., Netanyahu called it a "great opportunity" to expand the circle of peace in the Middle East.

The trip comes amid growing public pressure in Israel for a long-term ceasefire that would end the war in Gaza and secure the return of around 50 hostages, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners have pushed him to continue the military campaign and establish a permanent Israeli control over parts of the Palestinian enclave.

Since Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, at least 6,860 Palestinians have been killed and 24,220 others wounded, according to figures released on Sunday by Gaza health authorities. That brings the total death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 57,418, with 136,261 injured.

On the ground, Gaza's civil defense agency reported 26 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has also caused a hunger crisis, displaced the population, mostly within Gaza, and left the territory in ruins.

The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the enclaved besiege.

Karima al-Ras, from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said "we hope that a truce will be announced" to allow in more aid, because "people are dying for flour." 

A group backed by the U.S. and Israel, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries.

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

The UN human rights office said last week that more than 500 people have been killed while waiting to access food from GHF distribution points.

(With input from agencies)