President Donald Trump said the remaining hostages will only return once Hamas is "confronted and destroyed" as Israel plans to expand its Gaza offensive.

Mediators were awaiting an Israeli response Tuesday to a fresh Gaza ceasefire plan, a day after Hamas accepted the proposal and signalled its readiness for a new round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war.

Large crowds of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday, launching a nationwide grassroots strike and widespread protests to demand the government secure the release of 50 hostages still in Gaza.

Nearly two years of demonstrations have failed to push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas that would end the war and free the remaining captives.

Israel called an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to demand the release of its emaciated hostages including one seen digging his own grave.

Israeli actress Gal Gadot embraces hostage families at Tel Aviv square, meeting with wives and mothers of those abducted during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

Hamas’s declared plan to relocate hostages into Gaza City to use them as human shields may present a serious deterrent to an IDF operation into the city, Lt.-Col. (Res.) Alon Eviatar, an expert in Palestinian affairs, said on Monday.

Hamas said that Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands.