Hamas said on Monday, August 18, that it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, though Israel has indicated its positions haven’t changed. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000.
US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the long-running 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 media.
Israel 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 famine .
Plans 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 during the October 7, 2023, attack that started the war. Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their return.
Egypt says Witkoff invited to join talks
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators are “exerting extensive efforts” to revive a US proposal for a 60-day 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 rest.
Abdelatty spoke to journalists during a visit to Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza − which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024 − that they are inviting US envoy Steve Witkoff to join the ceasefire talks. Abdelatty was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which has been largely sidelined since the war began.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, 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 once.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told the Associated Press that the militant group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating. 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, has 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.
Netanyahu said in a video addressing the Israeli public that reports of Hamas’s acceptance of the proposal showed that it is “under massive pressure.”
More deaths linked to malnutrition
Experts have warned that Israel’s ongoing offensive is pushing Gaza toward famine, even after it eased a complete 2 1/2-month blockade on the territory in May. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday that five more people − including two children − have died of malnutrition-related causes. It says at least 112 children have died of malnutrition-related 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 starvation.” Israel has rejected such allegations, saying it allows in enough food and accusing the UN of failing to promptly deliver it.
