Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal on Gaza as Palestinian death toll passes 62,000

Hamas said it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that would still need Israel’s approval, as Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war had passed 62,000.

US President Donald Trump meanwhile appeared to cast doubt on the long-running negotiations.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” he posted on his Truth Social site.

Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavy populated areas after the ceasefire talks appeared to have broken down last month, raising the possibility of a worsening of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which experts say is sliding into famine.

Plans to expand the offensive, which are in part aimed at pressuring Hamas, have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the October 7 attack that started the war.

Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their return.

Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators are “exerting extensive efforts” to revive a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest.

He spoke during a visit to Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza, which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024.

He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which has been largely sidelined since the war began.

Mr Abdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who arrived in Cairo last week.

He said they are open to other ideas, including for a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at once.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, later told The Associated Press that the militant group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating.

An Egyptian official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said the proposal includes changes to Israel’s pullback of its forces and guarantees for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire during the initial truce.

The official said it is almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel, which has not yet joined the latest talks.

Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egypt State Information Service, told the AP that Egypt and Qatar have sent the Hamas-accepted proposal to Israel.

An Israeli official said Israel’s positions, including on the release of all hostages, had not changed from previous rounds of talks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed, and to maintain lasting security control over Gaza.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

– Palestinian death toll surpasses 62,000

The Gaza Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war had climbed to 62,004, with another 156,230 people wounded.

It does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half the dead.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals.

The UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own.

The ministry said 1,965 people have been killed while seeking humanitarian aid since May, either in the chaos around UN convoys or while heading to sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor.

Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds of people seeking aid.

Israel says it has only fired warning shots at people who approached its forces while GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired into the air on rare occasions to prevent deadly crowding.