RAFAH, Egypt (AP) — Hamas said Monday 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 has passed 62,000.

As Israel expands operations in the enclave, Gazans increasingly voice defiance against Hamas, with dissenters risking their lives to demand freedom from the group’s grip.

Hamas' meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ways to stop the war, deliver aid, and "end the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Sunday at the end of a day of demonstrations around the country to call for the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza.

Official says plan would see 60-day ceasefire, hostage release in two phases; Qatari PM reportedly traveling to Egypt to meet with Hamas representatives, Egyptian president

The United Nations warns that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest level since the war began.

President Isaac Herzog visited Hostages Square on Sunday as Israelis marked a nationwide strike calling for the release of hostages still held in Gaza and

Egyptian and Qatari mediators have resurrected plans for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire and the release of 10 hostages, rather than a comprehensive agreement, in a last-minute effort to avert Israel's planned ground assault on Gaza city,