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July 25, 2025 - Israel-Gaza news

Elise Hammond

Tori B. Powell

By Nadeen Ebrahim, Christian Edwards, Adrienne Vogt, Elise Hammond, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 9:40 AM EDT, Sat July 26, 2025

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Video shows dire starvation crisis in Gaza

02:45 • Source: CNN

Video shows dire starvation crisis in Gaza

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What we covered today

• Negotiators recalled: US President Donald Trump said Friday it was time to “finish the job” and “get rid” of Hamas after the US deemed the militant group was not “acting in good faith” during negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the US are considering “alternative options” after they recalled negotiators from talks. Hamas has said that a breakthrough was “close” before the US withdrew.

• Starvation crisis: At least nine more Palestinians, including two children, died of starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 122 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

• Israel to allow airdrops: Israel has denied creating famine and accused Hamas of “engineering” food shortages. The country will allow foreign nations to airdrop aid into Gaza in the coming days, a security official said, even though aid agencies warn airdrops are both costly and dangerous.

• Aid theft probe: Meanwhile, an internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza.

37 Posts

Our live coverage of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has moved here.

Hamas official says hostage-prisoner exchanges and Israeli withdrawal schedule are hurdles in negotiations

From CNN’s Abeer Salman and Max Saltman

Two of the remaining sticking points in negotiations over a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza are the exchange of prisoners for hostages and the schedule for Israel’s withdrawal, a senior Hamas official told CNN on Friday.

The official said Hamas had submitted two proposals on those topics shortly before the US and Israel pulled their delegates out of talks Thursday, accusing the militant group of acting in bad faith.

First proposal:

“In exchange for the 10 living prisoners,” the Hamas proposal states, Israel would exchange “200 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life in prison in addition to 2,000 prisoners from the Gaza Strip, to be named by Hamas.”
For each dead Israeli hostage exchanged, Israel would give Hamas “10 corpses of Palestinians plus 50 prisoners from Gaza who were captured after October 7, and women and children under the age of 18, to be named by Hamas.”

Second proposal:

Israel would withdraw 1,000 meters from unpopulated parts of northeastern Gaza and 800 meters from populated portions. In Rafah, in southern Gaza, Israeli forces would pull back between 700 and 1,200 meters, depending on the part of the city, according to the proposal.
“The occupation withdraws gradually at a rate of 50 meters per week from the Philadelphi corridor,” the document states, referring to a narrow strip of land southwest of Rafah, on the Egyptian border with Gaza. “On the 50th day, it will withdraw from the entire Philadelphi line.”

After Israel pulled its delegation, a spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry said that “Israel had agreed to the (US) framework for a hostage release and ceasefire, but Hamas has only hardened its stance, and in fact, there has been a regression in its position during the negotiations.”

CNN’s Dana Karni contributed to this report.

Here's where things stand on a Gaza ceasefire

From CNN staff

A Palestinian man inspects the damage around a house hit in an Israeli strike in western Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

A Palestinian man inspects the damage around a house hit in an Israeli strike in western Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images

If you’re just joining us, you may remember that the US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday recalled US negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks, saying Hamas was being “selfish” and that it did not appear to be “acting in good faith.” Israel had pulled its negotiators from talks earlier in the day.

If you want to get a quick rundown of developments in talks throughout this week, read here.

Here’s what has happened since the negotiators were recalled:

Hamas response: A senior official of the Hamas political bureau, Basem Naim, said it was not an accurate representation. Naim said that just days ago, Witkoff had said that both sides had agreed on “three out of four points and are close to a breakthrough.” What Hamas presented “can lead to a deal” if Israel “wants one,” he said.

Trump’s reaction: President Donald Trump said that Hamas did not want to make a deal on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. The group’s unwillingness to agree to a truce means it’s now time to “finish the job” and “get rid” of the group, he said.

Israel’s stance: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel is considering “alternative options” to bring hostages home and end Hamas’ rule in Gaza.

The talks will go on: Egypt and Qatar said they will move forward in mediating for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, saying in a joint statement that the latest suspension in talks is “normal in the context of these complex negotiations.”