Israel to begin talks to end war and free hostages - but still plans to seize Gaza City
Talks to end the war with Hamas and free the hostages still in Gaza have been ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu, who says he's still approving an assault on Gaza City that's expected to displace up to a million people.
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The Israeli Prime Minister said that while talks to end the war have been ordered, any conclusion must be on terms "acceptable" to his country.
It means Israel will restart negotiations with Hamas - the biggest development since the terror group first agreed to a temporary ceasefire proposal.
Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement that his military will "take over Gaza City to defeat Hamas."
"At the same time... I have instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war, on terms acceptable to Israel.
"These two things, defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages, go hand in hand," he added.
Mr Netanyahu continued that he "appreciated the presence of the reserve soldiers and the regular army for this vital goal."
The Israeli Prime Minister delivered the remarks at a meeting attended by defence chiefs and members of the security cabinet - where they approved the operational plans.
In a separate development, the Foreign Office has summoned Israel's ambassador Tzipi Hotovely to the UK after plans were approved to effectively cut off the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem.
On Thursday, the IDF began calling medical officials and international organisations in the northern Gaza Strip to warn them to leave the area ahead of the expanded operation.
As of May, Israeli intelligence officials listed 8,900 named fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as dead or “probably dead”, a joint investigation by the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call revealed.
53,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Fighters named in the Israeli military intelligence database were just 17% of the total Palestinians killed, which indicates 83% of the dead were civilians.
It comes the day after the military announced the call-up of 60,000 reservists and the extension of 20,000 reservists currently serving to support the expanded operation.
Netanyahu was expected to give his final approval for the operation during a security cabinet meeting on Thursday night, according to an official.
Hamas agreed to a proposal drawn up by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire on Monday, which according to Qatar would see the release of half of the remaining hostages.
But responding for the first time, Netanyahu has not accepted the deal currently on the table.
In a video statement during a visit with the Gaza division's headquarters in Israel on Thursday night, Netanyahu said he had "instructed to immediately begin negotiations for the release of all our hostages".
"I have come to approve the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces) plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas," he said.
"These two matters - defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages - go hand in hand," Netanyahu added, without providing details about what the next stage of talks would entail.
Israeli officials have this week been voicing opposition to a ceasefire deal that would only involve the partial release of hostages.
