Israel to continue with Gaza City offensive despite talks to free Hamas hostages - report
Kyiv • UNN
Israel will resume negotiations with Hamas on the release of hostages, but the offensive on Gaza will continue. The IDF calls on medics and international organizations to evacuate to the south of Gaza.
Israel will resume negotiations with the Hamas group on the release of all hostages captured during the attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, but Israeli forces will continue their offensive on Gaza City, despite international protest, Sky News reports, writes UNN.
Details
These remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister are the first since Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire proposal. The negotiations will also aim to end the war, but Netanyahu said it must be on "terms acceptable to Israel."
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have begun calling medics and international organizations in northern Gaza to encourage them to evacuate south before an expanded operation in Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces began an offensive on Gaza City20.08.25, 22:51 • 3901 view
Many of Israel's closest allies have urged the country's government to reconsider its decision. Some Israelis fear that this could doom the remaining living hostages (about 20 people) captured by Hamas militants during the October 7, 2023 attack, which ignited the war. In turn, Israel plans to call up 60,000 reservists and extend the service of another 20,000.
Speaking to soldiers near Israel's border with Gaza, Netanyahu said he was still determined to approve plans to defeat Hamas and capture Gaza City.
"At the same time, I have issued instructions to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and to end the war on terms acceptable to Israel. These two things – defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages – go hand in hand," he said.
The latest ceasefire proposal, drafted by Egypt and Qatar, is almost identical to the previous one that Israel accepted before negotiations stalled last month.
The proposal will include the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and negotiations for a lasting ceasefire.
According to local hospitals, Israeli strikes killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, including in a tent camp in Deir al-Balah.
Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned to the Foreign Office in response to a controversial settlement plan in the West Bank that received final approval.
The project, known as the E1 settlement, would effectively cut off the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem and divide the territory in half.
The UK and 21 international partners issued a statement condemning the decision "in the strongest terms," calling it a "blatant violation of international law" and one that "critically undermines the two-state solution."
"I said we wouldn't tell the British where to build in London. Don't tell us where to build in Jerusalem, our capital. We view E1 as part of Greater Jerusalem," Hotovely said.
The UK also reacted to comments by the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA that starvation in Gaza is "intentional" and being used as a "tool of war."
Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer called for a "comprehensive peace plan to end this suffering and achieve a long-term settlement."
"Israel must immediately and permanently remove all barriers preventing aid from reaching the people of Gaza to prevent the continuation of the terrible famine in the Strip," he added.