Hamas accepts Arab ceasefire proposal as Gaza death toll exceeds 62,000

Hamas said Monday it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as Israel indicated its positions havent changed while Gazas Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62000US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the longrunning negotiations that Washington has mediated as well 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 social mediaIsrael announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month raising the possibility of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza which experts say is sliding into faminePlans to expand the offensive 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 2023 attack that started the war Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their returnEgypt says Witkoff invited to join talksEgyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators are exerting extensive efforts to revive a US proposal for a 60day ceasefire during which some of the remaining 50 hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the restAbdelatty told The Associated Press they are inviting US envoy Steve Witkoff to join the ceasefire talksAbdelatty spoke to journalists during a visit to Egypts 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 beganAbdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks which include senior Hamas leader Khalil alHayya who arrived in Cairo last week Abdelatty said they are open to other ideas including for a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at onceBassem Naim a senior Hamas official told the AP that the militant group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators without elaboratingAn Egyptian official speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks said the proposal includes changes to Israels 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 talksDiaa Rashwan head of the Egypt State Information Service told the AP that Egypt and Qatar have sent the Hamasaccepted proposal to IsraelAn Israeli official said Israels positions including on the release of all hostages had not changed from previous rounds of talks The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the mediaPrime 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 withdrawalNetanyahu said in a video addressing the Israeli public that reports of Hamas acceptance of the proposal showed that it is under massive pressurePalestinian death toll surpasses 62000Hamasled militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1200 mostly civilians in the attack that ignited the war Around 20 of the hostages still in Gaza are believed by Israel to be alive after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other dealsGazas Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war had climbed to 62004 with another 156230 people wounded It does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up around half the deadThe ministry is part of the Hamasrun 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 ownThe ministry said 1965 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 Israelibacked American contractorWitnesses health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds seeking aid Israel says it has only fired warning shots at people who approached its forces GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired into the air on rare occasions to prevent deadly crowdingMore deaths linked to malnutritionExperts have warned that Israels ongoing offensive is pushing Gaza toward famine even after it eased a complete 2 12month blockade on the territory in May Gazas Health Ministry said Monday that five more people including two children died of malnutritionrelated causesIt says at least 112 children have died of malnutritionrelated causes since the war began and 151 adults have died since the ministry started tracking adult malnutrition deaths in June Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvationIsrael has rejected such allegations saying it allows in enough food and accusing the UN of failing to promptly deliver it UN agencies say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in the territory around threequarters of which is now controlled by IsraelThe UN World Food Program said Monday that UN partner organizations reported that community kitchens in north and south Gaza produced 380000 daily meals daily last week far fewer than the more than 1 million daily meals they produced in AprilThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no 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