Netanyahu’s balancing act: Calls for Gaza truce talks while approving city assault

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent mixed signals on Thursday, 21 August, announcing “immediate negotiations” for a Gaza truce and the release of hostages, even as he approved military plans to capture Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre.

During a visit to an Israeli military base near Gaza, Netanyahu said he had endorsed the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces) operation to “defeat Hamas” but also instructed officials to explore a deal to end the conflict on “terms acceptable to Israel.”

"I came to approve the IDF's plans to take control of Gaza City and to defeat Hamas," Netanyahu said on Thursday, during a visit to a military base near the Palestinian enclave.

"At the same time, I instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel," he said.

The announcement came a day after the Israeli army mobilised 60,000 reservists, with another 20,000 to follow. At the same time, Hamas has already accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated plan for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release, but Israel has yet to issue a formal response.

Netanyahu has laid out five conditions for halting the war: Hamas’s disarmament, the release of hostages, Gaza’s demilitarisation, Israeli security control over the enclave, and the appointment of a non-Israeli authority to run daily governance — excluding both Hamas and the Palestinian authority.

Despite talk of negotiations, Israeli airstrikes continued overnight on Gaza City and surrounding areas, killing at least 70 people and wounding 356, according to Gaza health officials. The overall death toll since 7 October 2023, has risen to 62,192, with more than 157,000 wounded.

Observers say Netanyahu’s dual message reflects both domestic pressure to secure the release of hostages and his government’s commitment to a decisive military victory, underscoring the deep contradictions shaping Israel’s Gaza strategy.

With IANS inputs