Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 21-month Israel-Hamas war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Gaza is slipping into famine, UN-backed experts warned Tuesday, as the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said the death toll in the nearly 22-month war had surpassed 60,000.The health ministry figure excludes deaths from hunger in the Palestinian territory gripped by dire humanitarian conditions made worse by Israel's total blockade of aid from March to May.

The U.S. has withdrawn from Doha ceasefire talks after Hamas' response showed a "lack of desire" for an agreement. Israel also pulled negotiators amid escalating demands.

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.

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.

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.

Hamas issued a scathing statement in which it rejected U.S. criticism of its handling of negotiations aimed at ending the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza.