Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday (August 21) that he has ordered immediate negotiations to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza and end the war with Hamas on terms acceptable to Israel. At the same time, he will approve a plan for the Israeli military to take control of Gaza City.
Netanyahu made these remarks during a visit to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. However, he did not specify whether Israel would accept Hamas’ proposal for a phased release of hostages that was accepted on Monday.
“We are in a decisive stage of victory. I came to the Gaza division today to approve the plan submitted by IDF to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “At the same time, I have ordered immediate negotiations to release all our hostages and end the war on terms acceptable to Israel.”
Netanyahu insisted that “defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages go hand in hand.” He also expressed gratitude to the reserve soldiers and regular army who were mobilized for this important mission.
Relatives of the hostages oppose Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City, fearing that further escalation of military operations could endanger their loved ones.
Israeli Defense Forces and security officials stated that around 60,000 Israeli reserve soldiers will begin receiving military call-up notices starting from Wednesday (August 20) to prepare for military actions in Gaza.
The call-up of tens of thousands of reserve soldiers may take several weeks, giving mediators of the Gaza conflict time to bridge the gap in a new temporary ceasefire proposal. Hamas has accepted the proposal, but the Israeli government has not yet responded officially. The ceasefire proposal was put forward by Qatar and Egypt. Mediators from these two countries are working to restart negotiations before Israel launches a large-scale attack on Gaza City.
The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 hostages and 18 hostage bodies held in Gaza. In exchange, Israel will release 140 Palestinians serving life sentences and 60 Palestinians serving 15 years or more in prison.
The Israeli government has stated that Hamas must immediately release the remaining 50 hostages. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of the hostages are still alive.