Nationwide protests erupted throughout Israel on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators called for the safe return of hostages still held in Gaza after nearly two years of war. The demonstrations amounted to one of the largest the country has seen since the start of the war in October 2023.

Protesters in Israel demanding the government make a deal to secure the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza escalated their campaign on Sunday, staging a nationwide strike that blocked traffic and closed businesses.

Hamas say it has agreed to a new ceasefire proposal from mediators for the war in Gaza, but details of the proposal remain unclear.

By Ibrahim Dahman, Dana Karni, Becky Anderson, Tal Shalev, Abeer Salman, Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — Hamas says it has agreed to a new Gaza ceasefire proposal as mediators from Qatar and Egypt push to renew talks ahead of a major Israeli assault on Gaza City.