Efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza are faltering over a key sticking point: the scale of Israeli troop withdrawal from the besieged enclave.

According to sources close to the negotiations in Doha, both Israeli and Palestinian delegates remain sharply divided, despite ongoing indirect talks over a U.S.-proposed 60-day truce.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll continues to climb. On Saturday, Gaza health officials reported that 17 civilians were shot dead while attempting to access food aid in Rafah the latest in a series of deadly incidents tied to an aid distribution system backed by the United States and protected by Israeli forces.

The United Nations says such episodes have claimed the lives of at least 800 people in the past six weeks alone.

Eyewitnesses recounted harrowing scenes. “The gunfire was deliberate. People were being hit in the head and chest,” said Mahmoud Makram, one of the survivors. “We were under fire for five minutes.” At Nasser Hospital, families mourned over the bodies of victims wrapped in white shrouds.

The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots during the incident and claimed that a preliminary review found no indication of injuries caused by its troops.

In Qatar, delegations from Hamas and Israel have been engaged in renewed efforts to reach a deal that would include the staggered release of hostages, an Israeli military drawdown, and a pathway to end the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the week, expressed optimism about a possible agreement. But negotiators say several critical issues remain unresolved.

A Palestinian official said Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal that would leave about 40% of Gaza including Rafah in the south and key areas in the north and east under continued Israeli control.

Israeli sources, in turn, said Hamas is demanding that Israeli forces pull back to the positions they held prior to their March offensive.

Further disagreements have emerged over the flow of humanitarian aid and guarantees for a permanent end to hostilities. The Palestinian side believes stronger U.S. involvement could help bridge the divide.

The fundamental positions remain unchanged: Hamas has repeatedly insisted on a full ceasefire agreement before any remaining hostages are released.

Israel, on the other hand, says the war will only end once all captives are freed and Hamas is dismantled both militarily and administratively.

The fatal shooting in Rafah on Saturday is the latest flashpoint in what the U.N. has labeled a “dangerous and deeply flawed” aid distribution model. Following a partial easing of the blockade in late May, Israel rolled out a new system to deliver aid using a U.S.-supported network, guarded by its troops.

The United Nations has criticized the approach for putting civilians at risk and violating humanitarian principles. Israel maintains it is necessary to prevent aid from falling into militant hands.

The war, now in its tenth month, was triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken. Israeli authorities believe at least 20 of the remaining 50 captives are still alive.

Since then, Israel’s relentless military campaign has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, displaced nearly the entire population of more than two million, and plunged the territory into a deep humanitarian catastrophe. Much of Gaza now lies in ruins.