Hamas accepts an Arab ceasefire proposal on Gaza as Palestinian death toll passes 62,000

RAFAH, Egypt (AP) — Hamas says it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza that would still need Israel’s approval. Israel indicates its positions haven’t changed. Gaza’s Health Ministry meanwhile says the Palestinian death toll has passed 62,000 from 22 months of war. Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month. Those plans have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the 2023 attack that sparked the war. A widened military offensive will worsen the humanitarian crisis.

Bolivia heads to a runoff after an election ends two decades of ruling party dominance

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s presidential election is heading to a runoff after Sunday’s vote ended over two decades of ruling party dominance. Early results showed that a centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the front-runners, although not enough to secure an outright victory. Bolivia holds the presidential runoff — its first since its 1982 return to democracy — on Oct. 19. Paz is a former mayor who has sought to soften the edges of the opposition’s push for austerity to rescue Bolivia from a looming economic collapse. He will face off against former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga.

Over 150 people are still missing after devastating flooding in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Anguished Pakistanis are searching remote areas for bodies swept away by weekend flash floods as the death toll has reached 277. A senior official has replied to the lack of evacuation warnings by saying people should have built homes elsewhere. More than 150 people are still missing Monday in the mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after Friday’s flash floods. A changing climate has made residents of northern Pakistan’s river-carved mountainous areas more vulnerable to sudden, heavy rains. A government official says torrential rains triggered a flash flood that killed 15 people in northwestern Swabi district on Monday.

Islamic State-backed rebels killed at least 52 people in eastern Congo, UN says

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Attacks by an Islamic State-backed rebels killed at least 52 people between Aug. 9 and 16, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo said Monday. The UN mission, known as MONUSCO, said in a statement that the attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) took place in several localities of Beni and Lubero territories, in the North Kivu province. “The violence was accompanied by abductions, looting, the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to populations already facing dire humanitarian conditions,” the statement read, adding that the death toll is likely to rise.