Israel has long restricted or completely blocked aid to Gaza on the argument that Hamas steals it to use as a weapon of control over the population.

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.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Palestinian militants Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Friday.

President Trump’s special envoy said that “we will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home,” though it was not clear that negotiations had halted.

In May, Trump secured the release of Edan Alexander, the last US Israeli citizen held hostage after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and started the latest war. Alexander, who grew up in Tenafly, NJ, had been serving in the Israeli military when he was captured.

Israel is reviewing a revised response from Hamas to a proposed ceasefire and hostage-release deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday, as Israeli air and ground strikes continued to pound the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is considering “alternative options” to ceasefire talks with Hamas

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says the air drops "might help" but notes that the "most vulnerable" in Gaza would still struggle to access essential supplies.