Signs of renewed activity emerged on Wednesday in efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the nine-month-old war in the Gaza Strip, even as Israel continued its strikes on the devastated enclave. Mediators Egypt and Qatar delivered a response from Hamas to a proposal involving a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Israel is currently studying the document, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on behalf of the Mossad spy agency.

For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been working to secure a truce and the release of 120 remaining hostages in Gaza, but their efforts have repeatedly failed. Hamas demands any deal must end the war and result in a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel will only accept temporary pauses in the fighting until Hamas is eradicated.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been in communication with Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish officials to discuss potential deals to end the war. According to the New York Times, Israel's top generals favor a Gaza ceasefire, even if it means Hamas remains in power for now, to secure the release of Israeli hostages and to allow Israeli forces to regroup in case of a wider war with Hezbollah. This stance has caused a rift with Netanyahu, who opposes a truce that would allow Hamas to survive.

An Israeli strike killed top Hezbollah commander Mohammed Nasser in south Lebanon, leading to retaliatory rocket fire by Hezbollah into Israel. This raised concerns of a broader conflict, prompting U.S. diplomatic efforts to deescalate tensions. The Gaza war began on October 7, when Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took around 250 hostages. Israel's retaliatory offensive has resulted in nearly 38,000 deaths, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has left the enclave in ruins.

In northern Israel, an Israeli soldier was killed and a second person was wounded in a stabbing at a mall in Karmiel. The assailant, also killed, was from Nahaf, a town with an Arab minority population.

On the ground in Gaza, at least 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes in central and northern Gaza. Israeli forces also carried out new strikes in the south amid fierce fighting with Palestinian militants. Israel's military reported a 21-year-old captain killed in combat in northern Gaza.

The fighting continued overnight in Rafah, with Israeli forces seizing districts and advancing further into the city. The Israeli military reported targeted operations in Rafah, dismantling military sites, and killing Palestinian militants. An Israeli airstrike destroyed a U.N. school in Khan Younis, where displaced Palestinians were sheltering. Many Palestinians sought refuge after Israel ordered evacuations from Khan Younis and Rafah, the largest such order since October. Khan Younis residents reported families sleeping on the roads due to lack of tents.

The Gaza health ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike killed Hassan Hamdan, a head doctor at Nasser Medical Complex, along with his family. The last functioning hospital in the area, Gaza European Hospital, was evacuated, despite assurances from an Israeli defense official that staff and patients could stay.

The ceasefire plan, made public by U.S. President Joe Biden in May, involves a phased release of Israeli hostages, Israeli force pullback, the freeing of Palestinian prisoners, Gaza reconstruction, and the return of deceased hostages' remains.

Criticism of Hamas has grown in Gaza, both on the streets and online. Videos have surfaced of Gazans openly condemning Hamas leadership for the bloodshed. Some residents accuse Hamas of hiding hostages in civilian areas and firing rockets from populated zones. A senior Hamas government employee described the group's attacks as "a crazy, uncalculated leap" and criticized their lack of preparation for the home front.

Dissent was present before the war but was often suppressed due to fear of reprisals. The last Palestinian elections in 2006 saw Gazans vote for Hamas in 15 out of 24 seats. In 2007, Hamas forcibly took control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority, causing a rift with the rival Fatah movement.

Desperation and war have eroded social structures in Gaza, with four-fifths of the population displaced and law and order breaking down. Criminal gangs have thrived, and private security companies have emerged. Despite this, some Gazans remain fiercely loyal to Hamas, while others criticize its actions and leadership.

Hamas remains sensitive to public opinion, and criticism is growing sharper. The battle for control of public opinion within Gaza is intensifying as the war with Israel continues.