Hamas has accepted an updated proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza presented by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, two sources with knowledge of the talks tell Axios. Why it matters: This is part of a last-ditch effort to reach a deal and avoid a major new Israeli offensive to occupy Gaza City.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has vowed to destroy Gaza City if Hamas did not agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the territory and end the war on Israel’s terms. “Soon, the gates of Hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza – until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,