The proposal from regional mediators would see Israeli hostages released in two batches during a 60-day truce, according to a Palestinian official.

Life comes before revenge,” Rudy Chen, the father of Itay Chen, an Israeli American soldier who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, told NBC News.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A key mediator on Tuesday stressed the urgency of brokering a ceasefire in Gaza 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.

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.

By Emily Rose JERUSALEM (Reuters) -As Israel seeks to expand its offensive in Gaza, a measure of how the country's mood has changed in the nearly two-year-old conflict is the discontent evident among some reservists being called up to serve once again.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since the start of the fighting in October 2023.