Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says negotiations will begin on how to secure the release of all the remaining hostages in a bid to put an end to the war in Gaza on terms “acceptable to Israel”.
Netanyahu told Israeli troops on Thursday night that his cabinet had also approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City in the north of the territory, despite widespread international and domestic opposition.
Hamas agreed to a proposal drawn up by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire on Monday, which according to Qatar would see the release of half of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
But responding for the first time, Netanyahu has not accepted the deal currently on the table.
Israeli media has cited an Israeli official as saying negotiators will be dispatched for renewed talks once a location has been determined.
In a video statement during a visit with the Gaza division’s headquarters in Israel on Thursday night, Netanyahu said he had “instructed to immediately begin negotiations for the release of all our hostages”.
“I have come to approve the IDF’s (Israel Defense Forces) plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas,” he said.
“These two matters – defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages – go hand in hand,” Netanyahu added, without providing details about what the next stage of talks would entail.
Israeli officials have this week been voicing opposition to a ceasefire deal that would only involve the partial release of hostages.
On Wednesday, Hamas accused Netanyahu of disregarding the mediators’ ceasefire proposal and accused him of obstructing an agreement, according to a statement cited by Reuters.
Last Saturday, Netanyahu’s office put out a statement saying that Israel would only “agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go”, and that the conditions for ending the war included the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarisation of Gaza, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance.
Israel believes that only 20 of the 50 hostages are still alive after 22 months of war.
