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.

Hamas said that Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands.

President Trump echoed the need to expand the war in Gaza, saying that the remaining 50 hostages can only be freed once Hamas is completely eradicated.

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.

Demonstrators gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians’ homes, military headquarters and on major highways. They blocked lanes and lit bonfires.

The military announced that it would be handing out tents and other housing equipment starting on Sunday. Hamas said on Sunday that Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.

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.

The Revere lawmaker is the highest-ranking congressional Democrat to use that historically significant term to refer to the worsening conflict.

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