Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he has instructed negotiations to begin for the release of all remaining hostages and to also end the war in Gaza on terms “acceptable to Israel.”

On Thursday, Netanyahu told his troops that the cabinet had approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City in the north of the territory, despite international and domestic opposition. This comes a week after Hamas agreed to a proposal drawn by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire on Monday. The ceasefire proposal, according to Qatar, would see the release of half of the remaining hostages. But Netanyahu has not accepted the deal as it is currently, even though this is his first-ever response to the new ceasefire agreement.

“I have come to approve the IDF  (Israel Defence Forces) plan to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas. These two matters, i.e. defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages, go hand in hand,” said PM Netanyahu without providing details about his next stage of talks. He said this in a video statement during his visit with the Gaza Division’s headquarters in Israel on Thursday night.

Palestinian sources said there have been heavy bombardments in eastern areas of Gaza City on Thursday.

Israeli Opposition to Ceasefire

For a week now, Israeli officials have been voicing opposition to a ceasefire deal that would involve the partial release of hostages. Last Saturday, Netanyahu’s office put out a statement saying that Israel would only agree to a deal on conditions that all hostages are released at once. Other conditions of ending the war will include disarming of Hamas. The deal would also involve Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance. According to the United Nations, 86% of military zones are under evacuation orders.

In return, Hamas accused Netanyahu of disregarding the mediator’s ceasefire proposal. On Wednesday, the militant outfit based in Palestine also accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement that could bring peace for both nations.

Israeli media reports that negotiators will be dispatched for renewed talks once a location has been determined. Until then, as announced by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel’s intention is to control the Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.