Key points
- Israel has demanded the release of all 50 hostages held in Gaza
- The demand casts doubt on whether it will accept the new ceasefire proposal
- Hamas agreed to a 60-day ceasefire on Monday
ISLAMABAD: Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has approved the plan to conquer Gaza City, according to AFP.
He has also approved a call-up of around 60,000 reservists, according to his ministry.
One million Palestinian civilians are set to be displaced due to the latest offensive, according to Israeli media.
BREAKING: Israeli defence minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City and call-up of around 60,000 reservists.
Source: AFP pic.twitter.com/d5j6TWF1ha
— ConflictLive (@conflict_live) August 20, 2025
Israel has demanded the release of all 50 hostages held in Gaza, casting doubt on whether it will accept a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that Hamas agreed to on Monday.
The proposal, put forward by Qatar and Egypt, would see the release of around half the hostages and is “almost identical” to a US proposal Israel had previously accepted, according to Qatar, according to the BBC.
Not explicitly rejected
Israel has not explicitly rejected it – but Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told the BBC that it is not interested in “partial deals”.
“Things have changed now. The prime minister has laid out a plan for the future of Gaza,” Mencer said.
According to the Times of Israel, the offensive is dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots B,” following a previous operation of the same name, which saw the IDF take over 75 per cent of the Strip’s territory.
A security source says Katz praised the IDF’s plan and preparations during the meeting, which came after the government instructed the military to capture Gaza City.
The defence minister also approved “humanitarian preparations” for the estimated one million Palestinian civilians who are set to be displaced from Gaza City to the Strip’s south, the Times of Israel reported.
