The declaration marks the first official determination of famine since the war’s start. An international hunger monitoring group says portions of Gaza now meet its standards for declaring a famine, crossing a threshold that it said had not previously been reached.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he will give final approval for the takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations with Hamas aimed at returning all the remaining hostages and ending the war on Israel's terms.

Classified intelligence from the Israeli military indicates that 83% of the total deaths in Gaza have been civilians, according to a new report that the IDF has slammed as “incorrect.”

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.

Israel’s defense minister warned on Friday that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel’s terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area.

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

Hamas has endorsed a new proposal for a ceasefire deal with Israel in Gaza, as it faces pressure from Arab countries and seeks to ensure its own survival.

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.