Hamas said it had accepted a new Arab mediator's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza that still needs Israel's approval, while Gaza's health ministry said the Palestinian death toll in 22 months of conflict had exceeded 62,000.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump appeared to express doubt about the effectiveness of the protracted negotiations.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this happens, the greater the likelihood of success,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Israel has signalled plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other densely populated areas after ceasefire talks apparently failed last month, raising the risk of worsening a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip that experts say is approaching famine.
The widening offensive, partly aimed at putting pressure on Hamas, has sparked international outrage and anger among many Israelis who worry about the fate of the remaining hostages taken in the October 7 attack that started the war.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in mass protests on Sunday demanding their return.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatti said mediators were “making significant efforts” to revive a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in which some hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a longer-term ceasefire and the return of others.
He made the statement during a visit to Egypt's Rafah crossing on the border with the Gaza Strip, which has been closed since Israel captured the Palestinian part in May 2024.
He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which has been largely excluded from the country's political life since the start of the war.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
