Netanyahu vows to continue fight as Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Egypt's proposal for ceasefire

At least 20,674 Palestinians were killed, and 54,536 others wounded in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Monday.

In the past 24 hours, 250 Palestinians have died in the 25 air and ground operations launched by the Israeli forces across the enclave, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, at least two soldiers were killed on Monday in battles in Gaza, said the Israeli military, bringing the total death toll of Israeli soldiers since the outbreak of the conflict to 156.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel for disregarding international calls for a halt of the military offensive against Palestinian civilians and for restraining settler militias.

Meanwhile, the ministry emphasized the need for a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution to be adopted to allow for a safe and speedy delivery of aid and ensure the security of Palestinian civilians.

'We don't stop'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the northern Gaza Strip on Monday and vowed to continue the fight, the prime minister's office said.

Netanyahu visited the Palestinian enclave, where an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has raged, together with Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram, the office said.

He said Israel would not succeed in freeing its remaining hostages held by Hamas without applying military pressure.

"We don't stop. The war continues to the end until we finish them, nothing less," Netanyahu told Israeli soldiers.

Early on Tuesday, Palestinian residents reported several airstrikes near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

Palestinian health officials said seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis.

Palestinians mourned more than 100 people who Gaza health officials said were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday night, one of the deadliest nights in the 11-week-old battle between Israel and Hamas.

Prospects for ceasefire negotiations

On Monday, Reuters, citing two Egyptian security sources, reported that "Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire."

Egypt proposed a "vision" rather than a concrete plan, also backed by Qatari mediators, that would involve a ceasefire in exchange for the release of more hostages, and lead to a broader agreement involving a permanent ceasefire along with an overhaul of leadership in Gaza.

Two officials from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad later separately denied what the sources said about the talks.

Hamas denied on Monday that it had rejected an Egyptian proposal to end the conflict in Gaza and exchange prisoners with Israel as reported by some media outlets.

Ezat al-Rashq, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, said in a statement that the group "confirmed that there are no negotiations except with a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression."

Rashq added Hamas' leadership "is vigorously seeking to halt the aggression and killing against our people entirely, not temporarily."

"Our people want the aggression to stop, not temporary truces or partial calm followed by continued aggression," he said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Islamic Jihad official echoed Rashq's denial.

Israel's war cabinet met on Monday evening to discuss the portion of the Egyptian proposal that would possibly free more hostages held by the militants in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel.

So far there is no information on whether the meeting has made relevant decisions.

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(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)