Hamas cites progress in ceasefire talks as Palestinian death toll passes 62,000

By VICTORIA EASTWOOD SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press RAFAH Egypt AP Hamas noted 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 Medical Ministry stated the Palestinian death toll from months of war has passed U S 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 Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States Canada and the European Union Israel publicized 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 plenty of Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the Oct attack that started the war Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their return Extensive efforts to revive talks Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty mentioned mediators are exerting extensive efforts to revive a U S proposal for a -day ceasefire during which several hostages would be disclosed and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest He spoke during a visit to Egypt s Rafah navigating with Gaza which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority which has been largely sidelined since the war began Abdelatty announced 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 stated 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 informed The Associated Press that the group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators without elaborating An Egyptian official speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks reported 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 explained it is almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel which has not yet joined the latest 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 measure control over Gaza Hamas has announced it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal Palestinian death toll surpasses Hamas-led terrorists abducted people and killed around mostly civilians in the attack that ignited the war Fifty hostages are still inside Gaza around of them considered by Israel to be alive after the greater part of the rest were issued in ceasefires or other deals The Gaza Vitality Ministry revealed the Palestinian death toll from the war had climbed to with another people wounded It does not say how a large number of were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up around half the dead The ministry is part of the Hamas-run cabinet and staffed by curative professionals The U N and various independent experts consider its figures to be the the majority reliable estimate of wartime casualties Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own The ministry stated people have been killed while seeking humanitarian aid since May either in the chaos around U N convoys or while heading to sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation an Israeli-backed American contractor Observers wellbeing administrators and the U N 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 GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired into the air on rare occasions to prevent deadly crowding More deaths linked to malnutrition Experts have warned that Israel s ongoing offensive is pushing Gaza toward famine even after it eased a complete -month blockade on the territory in May The Gaza Strength Ministry revealed Monday that five more people including two children died of malnutrition-related causes It says at least children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began and 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 starvation Israel has rejected such assertions saying it allows in enough food and accusing the U N of failing to promptly deliver it U N agencies say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in the territory around three-quarters of which is now controlled by Israel Israeli lawmaker denied visa to Australia In a separate maturation far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman accused Australia of antisemitism after it denied him a visa for a speaking tour Rothman is a member of the Religious Zionism party which supports the continuation of the war the mass relocation of Palestinians through what it describes as voluntary migration and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza The Australian regime s decision to deny me the opportunity to come and speak to my people due to expressing simple and clear positions is clear and blatant antisemitism that gives a boost to terrorism Australian Broadcasting Corp shared Rothman saying on Monday Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended the move saying If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division we don t want you here In response Israel revoked the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and described the Israeli Embassy in Australia to precisely examine any official visa applications from Australia to Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X Australia joined other Western-allied nations in a joint message last month calling for an end to the war and joined a smaller circle of countries in sanctioning two far-right Israeli ruling body ministers accused of inciting violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Magdy broadcasted from Cairo and Lidman shared from Tel Aviv Israel Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk contributed from Canberra Australia