Israel’s army chief has reportedly urged the government to accept a deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, telling colleagues that the conditions have been created for an agreement.
Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), is reported by Channel 13 News to have said the matter was now “in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hands.”
The statement comes ahead of a scheduled security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where ministers are expected to discuss the latest proposal from regional mediators. Hamas accepted the plan last week.
The proposal, advanced by Egypt and Qatar and based on a framework from US envoy Steve Witkoff, would involve Hamas releasing around half of the estimated 50 remaining hostages in two phases during an initial 60-day truce. Talks on a permanent ceasefire would follow.
Netanyahu’s office has previously rejected any arrangement short of the release of all hostages at once.
Pressure on the government has intensified, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum saying Zamir had voiced “what most Israelis were demanding.” The group is organising another mass protest on Tuesday after hundreds of thousands rallied in Tel Aviv earlier this month calling for both a deal and an end to the war.
Despite this, Israel has pressed ahead with plans to seize Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban area. Planes and tanks pounded neighbourhoods including Zeitoun, Shejayia and Sabra at the weekend, while troops returned to Jabalia to demolish buildings.
Zamir has reportedly cautioned against a full-scale occupation of Gaza, warning it could endanger the hostages and overstretch Israeli forces.
Netanyahu has pledged to defeat Hamas and bring all of Gaza under Israeli control. The offensive would displace up to a million people from Gaza City to the south, adding to the 1.9 million already uprooted across the Strip.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, more than 62,686 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, with the UN citing the figures as the most reliable available.
A UN-backed hunger monitor declared famine in Gaza City last week, warning that over 500,000 people were facing “starvation, destitution and death.” Israel rejected the report, describing it as an “outright lie.”