Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to give final approval on Thursday for plans to take over Gaza City, an operation that could start within days. The widening of the 22-month offensive against Hamas appears to be proceeding despite protests in both Israel and the Palestinian enclave.

An Israeli official said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where Hamas is still active.

The Israeli military said it had called up an additional 60,000 reservists and extended the service of 20,000 "as part of the next phase" of Israel's military operation in Gaza.

Over the same period, Gaza’s health authorities recorded at least 53,000 deaths from Israeli attacks, meaning that named fighters accounted for just 17 percent of those killed, with civilians at about about 83 percent of the total death toll.

President Donald Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize but can’t seem to remember where he’s brought peace. During his sit-down with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, Trump repeated his boast that he’s ended six wars since January. But he went blank when trying to name the country involved in one of those peace deals.

The proposition the militant group said it agreed to was nearly the same as one that had been offered by Israel last month.

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.

A key mediator on Gaza is stressing the urgency of brokering a ceasefire after Hamas showed a “positive response” to a proposal. But Israel has yet to weigh in as its military prepares an offensive on some of the territory’s most populated areas.