Middle East conflict live updates: New optimism on cease-fire talks as Blinken visits region

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Monday that there is a potential deal for a “sustained” 40-day Gaza cease-fire. Blinken called the proposal “extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.” A former Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the initial truce would involve the release of 33 hostages. Israel had originally demanded the release of 40.

Members of Congress are warning of a backlash if the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for senior Israeli political figures, as foreshadowed by Israeli media but not confirmed by the global court. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on social media that the ICC “should stand down on this immediately.”

At least 34,488 people have been killed and 77,643 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children.

Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 263 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.