PM: I’ve ordered ‘immediate talks for release of all hostages and ending the war under conditions acceptable to Israel’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has “instructed to begin immediate negotiations” for the release of “all of [the] hostages” in Gaza, while simultaneously working to approve the government’s plan to take over Gaza City.

In a brief video message delivered from the Gaza Division under the IDF’s Southern Command, Netanyahu doesn’t say to whom he has given the order and again avoids commenting on whether Israel will accept the proposal for a phased hostage release deal that Hamas accepted on Monday.

“We are at the stage of decisive victory. 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 the city of Gaza and for defeating Hamas.”

“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 continues, apparently referring to the decision approved by the cabinet earlier this month under which Israel will only agree to end the war if Hamas releases all of the hostages at once and agrees to Israel’s surrender terms.

“These two things — the defeat of Hamas and the release of all our hostages — go hand in hand,” Netanyahu asserts, adding that he “greatly appreciate[s] the mobilization of the reserve soldiers, and of course the standing army, for the sake of this vital mission.”

Hostage families have pushed back on the argument, pointing to the fact that Hamas hasn’t released any hostages since Israel abandoned the previous hostage deal proposal in March. Moreover, they feel that further expanding military operations to Gaza City, where some of the captives are believed to be held, will put their loved ones at risk.