It wasn’t immediately clear whether the remaining Hamas leadership hosted by Qatar must leave. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Qatar has decided to suspend its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel,

The announcement comes after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal. But one official said Saturday that Qatar is highly likely to return to the efforts if both sides show “serious political willingness” to reach a deal on the war in Gaza.

The independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said on Friday in a rare alert that there was a strong likelihood of imminent famine in parts of north Gaza with immediate action required from the warring parties to ease a catastrophic situation.

There is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in parts of northern Gaza, where Israeli forces are conducting a major offensive, hunger experts warned Friday. An alert issued by the four experts called the humanitarian situation throughout the war-torn Gaza Strip “extremely grave and rapidly deteriorating” and worst in the north.