Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, August 21, that he visited the Gaza Division to approve the Israeli Defence Force’s plans to seize control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas. He added that he had also instructed officials to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all hostages and to work toward ending the war under terms acceptable to Israel.
“I came today to the Gaza Division in order to approve the plans that the IDF presented to me and to the defense minister for taking control of Gaza City and for defeating Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “At the same time, I instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and for ending the war under conditions acceptable to Israel,” he added.
The announcement by Netanyahu came several days after Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal that would see half of the hostages released and kick off talks to end the war and free the rest. This also came just as Netanyahu has approved the plans for the military takeover of the Gaza city.
Although Jerusalem had earlier approved the framework, Netanyahu has now insisted that Israel will halt fighting only as part of a comprehensive deal covering all 50 remaining captives. It remains unclear whether his Thursday remarks signaled any real shift in the negotiations.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office told Times of Israel that there were no immediate plans to dispatch an Israeli delegation, while a senior official later clarified that envoys would be sent once a venue for the talks was decided.
The deal pushed by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, would commit the terror group to release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 of the slain hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.
It was proposed that during the ceasefire, talks would begin for a permanent end to the war and the release of the remaining 22 hostages, Times of Israel reported.
Israel had earlier approved a similar framework but has yet to respond to the offer. Netanyahu has not rejected the framework leaving open the possibility of both a negotiated settlement and a military escalation.