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"We need to do some serious rethinking," a visibly frustrated Secretary of State Marco Rubio told hostage families yesterday after the latest round of Gaza talks broke down, two people who attended the meeting tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: Six months into his presidency, President Trump is no closer to ending the war in Gaza. The humanitarian crisis is worse than ever, negotiations are deadlocked, and the U.S. and Israel are increasingly isolated internationally.

The big picture: Trump campaigned on ending the war and bringing the hostages home.

• As the violence drags on — and images of starving Palestinians are shared all over the world — cracks are emerging in the MAGA base over Trump's support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's maximalist war strategy.
• This week's breakdown in talks — which came after Hamas refused to accept the latest ceasefire terms and Israel withdrew its negotiators in protest — could be a turning point for U.S. policy.

Driving the news: Trump signaled yesterday that it's time for Israel to further escalate the war to "get rid" of Hamas and "finish the job."

• Israeli officials weren't sure whether that was a negotiating tactic or a genuine change of course from Trump — a "green light" for Netanyahu to use even more extreme military measures.
• "It's terrible what happened with Hamas. Tapping everybody along. We'll see what happens. We'll see what response Israel has to that. But it is getting to be that time," Trump told reporters.

State of play: The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached its worst point since the start of the war, with at least 122 Palestinians dying of starvation in recent weeks, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

• Nearly all Western leaders have been urging Israel with increasing desperation to stop the fighting and allow in more aid — making Trump's "finish the job" message all the more jarring by contrast.
• "The humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza must end now," France, Germany and the U.K. said in a joint statement yesterday. "Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable."

Zoom in: Over the past six months, Trump has essentially given Netanyahu a free hand to do whatever he wants in Gaza — from military operations, to hostage negotiations, to the distribution of humanitarian aid.

• While White House officials say Trump is genuinely disturbed by the killing of Palestinians and wants the war to end, he has applied virtually no pressure on Netanyahu, according to Israeli officials.
• "In most calls and meetings, Trump told Bibi, 'Do what you have to do in Gaza.' In some cases he even encouraged Netanyahu to go harder on Hamas," one Israeli official told Axios.

Keep reading.

The Trump White House is plowing ahead with an extraordinary effort to redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterms, Axios' Alex Isenstadt and Megan Stringer write.

• Democrats, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, are trying to fight back.

Why it matters: Redistricting for partisan advantage is nothing new, but it's usually done after the census every 10 years. Trump is aiming to game the system by doing it well before 2030.

• "Why the f**k are we responding and reacting to the other side instead of taking offense on these things?" potential Texas Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke asked Democrats this week.
• But going on offense is easier said than done: Democrats would need a court order or special election in most states where they could try to draw more favorable maps.