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

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.

A senior Iranian political official told state media that an IDF strike on an Iranian national security council meeting was an attempt on Pezeshkian's life. Israel tried to assassinate Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the 12-day war in June, according to Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, Pezeshkian’s chief of staff.

Many Israelis feel that freeing the hostages cannot happen if the government refuses to come to terms with Hamas and pursues its policy of trying to eliminate the group militarily.

Israel says it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas.

CAIRO (Reuters) -Fearing an Israeli onslaught could come soon, some Palestinian families began leaving eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and some explored evacuating further south.

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.