President Donald Trump indicated on Friday that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas would be unlikely, and suggested that Hamas was losing its ability to negotiate.

Senior Hamas officials in Doha are reportedly inclined to support the deal on the table, but no response has been received from Hamas's military leadership in Gaza, N12 noted. Israel, the US, Qatar, and Egypt are still waiting for Hamas's response to the proposed hostage and ceasefire deal presented by mediators last week,

Special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Europe and possibly Middle East for meetings on issues including the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed armed group M23 signed a ceasefire deal on Saturday to end fighting that has devastated the country's mineral-rich but conflict-torn east.The two sides signed a declaration of principles whose terms include a "permanent ceasefire",

Hamas announced on Friday that it had “submitted a positive response” to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, opening the path toward a deal to halt the conflict after months of failed efforts.

CAIRO (AP) — 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.

The mediators' message to senior Hamas officials during the meeting was: “This is not a serious response. Go back and draft a new one.”