Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has hinted that talks over a Gaza ceasefire may now centre on freeing all remaining hostages in a single deal -abandoning earlier plans for a partial release.
In a television interview, Netanyahu said a phased approach was “behind us.” He told i24News: “I want all of them… the release of all the hostages, both alive and dead – that’s the stage we’re at.”
Fifty people remain in captivity from the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel. The government believes only around 20 of those hostages are still alive. Families of the captives have stepped up protests, urging Netanyahu to make their release his top priority.
The shift in tone comes as Hamas confirms its delegation is in Cairo for “preliminary talks” with Egyptian officials. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States are seeking a breakthrough before Israel presses ahead with its controversial plan to expand its offensive and take control of the entire Gaza Strip.
Israeli media suggest any major new operation is unlikely before October, giving the military time to call up more reservists. Meanwhile, air strikes have intensified. The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 123 Palestinians were killed in the past day alone.
Witnesses report heavy bombardment of Gaza City, with homes flattened in the Zaytoun area. Hospitals say whole families have been wiped out. Al-Shifa Hospital reported seven deaths, five of them children, after tents were hit in Tel al-Hawa. Al-Ahli Hospital said a separate strike killed 10 in Zaytoun.
The Israeli military confirmed new operations in the city and said its chief of staff had approved the “main framework” for a Gaza plan. Netanyahu insists Israel’s objectives remain unchanged: the return of all hostages and the surrender of Hamas. He has also said Israel must retain security control of Gaza indefinitely.
Hamas continues to demand a complete Israeli withdrawal, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and an end to the war. It has rejected calls to disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is created.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, said Cairo is still pushing to revive the earlier phased plan: a 60-day ceasefire, the partial release of hostages and prisoners, and unfettered humanitarian aid. “We are making great efforts with Qatar and the US,” he told reporters.
The humanitarian situation remains dire. UN agencies warn of famine, with food shortages and malnutrition at record levels. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 61,700 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, with a further 235 deaths — including 106 children — linked to starvation.
Netanyahu has also repeated his suggestion that Palestinians could leave Gaza through “voluntary” emigration. Rights groups warn such moves could amount to forced displacement, recalling the “Nakba” of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes. Most of Gaza’s population today are descendants of those refugees.
Mediators now face a narrow window to secure an agreement before the conflict deepens further — and before the possibility of a mass release, once again, slips away.
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