Egypt's Cabinet offered to resign Monday night, government officials said, as thousands of people gathered again in Cairo to protest the military-led government.
The military leadership accepted the mass resignation soon after the prime minister's office said it was offered, said Lt. Col. Amr Imam, a spokesman for the ruling Supreme Council for the Armed Forces.
But a short time later, a spokesman for Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said that the resignation was not complete. Mohammed Hegazy said around 11 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) that Egypt's ruling military council "is currently in another session with the Cabinet and has not accepted" the Cabinet members' proposed mass resignation "yet."
Tahrir Square -- the hub of the activist movement that led to the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak 10 months ago -- was packed again Monday with protesters calling for Egypt's military leaders to step down.
The demonstrations in Egypt's capital continued despite ongoing chaos and violence, as security forces clashed with demonstrators for a third straight day.
One of those who submitted his resignation, Justice Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz al-Juindy, said the forces' crackdown prompted the mass move to quit the government.
"I resigned because of the events in Tahrir (Square), because of the political responsibility," explained al-Juindy, referring to the bloody confrontations in Cairo between security forces and demonstrators.
Twenty-four protesters have died in these recent clashes, Health Ministry spokesman spokesman Dr. Adil al-Dawi said shortly before midnight Monday.
Among police, 102 officers and conscripts have been injured, with wounds ranging from gunshots to burns from Molotov cocktails, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. One officer has a critical bullet wound to his head.
Those figures, though, pale compared to the roughly 1,700 citizens who have been wounded, according to the same Health Ministry spokesman. That includes at least 207 on Monday.
The military said it is "extremely sorry" for the events under way and called for an investigation.
The Supreme Council is calling upon "all political forces to hold dialogue as soon as possible in order to address the escalation" of unrest, a spokesman for the military leadership, Maj. Mohamed Askar, said late Monday.
With citizen activists again at odds with security forces in Tahrir Square, the scene this week in many ways resembles what happened in February.
After Mubarak was ousted, military leaders took control with the promise that eventually a civilian government would be elected and take over.
Military leaders still insist they will hand over power to a new government when one is elected. Parliamentary elections are set to take place November 28. But a complex electoral process follows, and presidential elections could be a year away.
Demonstrators say they are concerned the military -- which would continue to be Egypt's top authority until a president is in place -- wants to keep a grip on the country. And many have voiced anger about a proposed constitutional principle that would shield the military's budget from scrutiny by civilian powers. They say they worry the military would be shaped as a state within a state.
These sentiments are reflected in the 2011 Arab Public Opinion Poll, conducted by University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami and released Monday. Some 21% of respondents believe that Egypt's military rulers are working to advance the gains of the revolution, while double that figure -- 43% -- say they are trying to slow or reverse the gains. The survey of 750 Egyptians, conducted between October 22 and 30, has a margin of error of 3.7%.
"People here feel that they have been cheated and that they have moved from an autocracy to a military dictatorship," protester Mosa'ab Elshamy said. "So they are back to the square -- back to square one -- to ask for their rights once again."
On the streets of Cairo, some protesters have gone further -- shouting that they believe Mubarak is running the military council and, in fact, the entire country from prison. He and his sons Gamal and Alaa face charges of corruption and of killing protesters.
Violence on the streets has intensified the sentiments among demonstrators.
On Monday, CNN saw police use tear gas and rubber bullets in attempts to disperse the protesters, who responded with Molotov cocktails. Both sides threw rocks as well.
CNN saw captured protesters beaten and shocked with Taser-like devices. CNN also saw bullet holes and a pool of blood. Witnesses said one young man was shot from a nearby building. Witnesses showed CNN mobile phone footage of the wounded young man before an ambulance picked him up.
Doctors at Tahrir Square said injuries in the latest fighting include gunshot wounds, excessive tear gas inhalations and beatings to the head.
"I have received many people suffering of convulsions," said Tarek Salama, a medic in a makeshift hospital in Tahrir Square. "Lots of gunshot wounds from rubber and bird shots. And I have seen two cases who have been hit with actual live bullets."
Still, security forces efforts to control the demonstrators have not succeeded in stopping the people -- many of them shouting "freedom" -- from gathering day after day, night after night.
In fact, more and more protesters appeared to be joining the efforts.
Some political factions have vowed to hold a sit-in Tuesday at Tahrir Square, demanding the immediate resignation of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. They also demand the immediate punishment of those who have killed protesters in the past few days.
The Alliance of the Revolutionaries of Egypt are calling the event a "million man sit-in."
The Muslim Brotherhood -- one of the largest organizations in the nation -- has said that it is not having its members join the event.
Military officials have said they will allow protests, so long as they are peaceful.
On its official Facebook page, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces issued a statement about the "extremely urgent" developments that could affect the country's "stability and security."
The armed forces are "extremely sorry for what the events have led to," the statement said, calling on all political parties and coalitions "to come and work together."
The armed forces also called for an investigation into "the reasons behind the incidents," according to a CNN translation.
The forces stressed their commitment to "handing over power to an elected, civil administration" and said they do not "seek to prolong the transitional period in any way."
Mohamed Higazi, a spokesman for the prime minister's office, said the government will continue dialogue on reaching a constitution that ensures the election of a civilian government.
Besides Cairo, clashes between protesters and police have also reportedly broken out in the cities of Suez and Alexandria.
Some on the streets expressed little confidence in the government, saying there had been little progress since Mubarak's ouster.
"Nothing has changed," said Zahra, one protester in Cairo. "We've gone backwards. The military council is garbage. Mubarak is still alive and well, and the people are dying."
Hisham Qasim, a publisher and human rights activist, said that Egypt can't afford anything -- including another revolt -- that could further hamper its already struggling economy. The nation's once-thriving tourism industry continues to struggle, while unemployment remains high.
"The poverty belt is now the ticking time bomb in Egypt," Qasim said. "It threatens that what we went through (earlier this year) could be repeated. ... I don't think we'll survive a second uprising in the span of 10 years."