Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he has ordered officials to launch "immediate talks" for the release of hostages in Gaza and an end to the fighting, while at the same time committing to approve military action to capture Gaza City.
"I came to sanction the plans of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to capture Gaza City and to defeat Hamas," Netanyahu stated Thursday during a tour of an army base along the border with the Palestinian enclave.
"In parallel, I ordered to commence immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and the termination of the war on Israel's terms," he further said.
Netanyahu made no comments on the timing or venue of these talks, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Israel's Ynet news website, quoting a senior official, said that no delegation will go to Doha or Cairo at this point.
An Israeli government official, who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu and his security cabinet were to convene on Thursday evening to finalize the approval for the attack on Gaza City, the largest city in the enclave.
The development came after recent mobilization by the military of 60,000 reservists, with the intention of summoning another 20,000 in the next few days.
Hamas earlier in the week is said to have agreed to a short-term truce offer by Egyptian and Qatari brokers that also involved the release of the hostages. Israel has yet to make an official public statement regarding the offer.
Netanyahu had already established five criteria under which Israel would halt the offensive: the disarmament of Hamas, the release of the hostages, the demilitarization of Gaza, Israeli security rule of the region, and the creation of a third party, not Israel or Hamas or the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, to manage everyday life inside the enclave.
Israeli troops maintained overnight attacks on Gaza City and other locations, leaving a minimum of 70 killed and 356 injured, Gaza health officials report. The death toll from Israeli strikes since October 7, 2023, stands at 62,192, while 157,114 others have been injured.
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