Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has “instructed to begin immediate negotiations” for the release of hostages in Gaza, while also moving forward with Israel’s plan to seize control of Gaza City. According to Times of Israel, in a video statement delivered from the Gaza Division under the IDF’s Southern Command, the Israeli leader declared: “We are at the stage of decisive victory. I came today to the Gaza Division in order to approve the plans that the IDF presented to me and to the Defence Minister for taking control of the city of Gaza and for defeating Hamas.” PM Netanyahu: "I have instructed immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel." pic.twitter.com/JMabs9NGkO — i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 21, 2025 He added, “At the same time, I instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and for ending the war under conditions acceptable to Israel.” Netanyahu reiterated that “these two things — the defeat of Hamas and the release of all our hostages — go hand in hand,” expressing gratitude for the mobilisation of reserve and active-duty soldiers. The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu stopped short of clarifying to whom he had issued the order and avoided addressing whether Israel would accept the phased hostage release arrangement agreed to by Hamas earlier this week. Families Warn of Risk to Hostages Relatives of hostages have condemned Netanyahu’s position, insisting that military escalation in Gaza City endangers the captives. They argue that Israel’s abandonment of earlier hostage talks in March has left their loved ones more vulnerable, with no hostages released since then. At a press conference hosted by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents most relatives of those held captive, Lishay Miran Lavi — whose husband Omri has been held in Gaza for nearly two years — cautioned: “We’re a step away from a total torpedoing of the hostage agreement.” Family members urged the government to act on Hamas’s reported acceptance of a US-backed 60-day ceasefire plan that would free 10 hostages and open negotiations for the return of others. They criticised the Prime Minister for not convening his cabinet to discuss the proposal. Despite mounting international calls for progress, Israeli officials have indicated no intention of sending negotiators to Qatar or Egypt to pursue talks. Hebrew media cited a senior Israeli official as saying there is “no plan” to respond to Hamas’s acceptance of the phased deal. Bar Goddard, whose father Manny was killed on 7 October and whose remains are held in Gaza, accused Netanyahu of inaction. “Someone who has chosen for three days now not to respond to [Hamas’s acceptance of] an agreement the government already approved, not to convene the security cabinet or the [general] cabinet, has essentially chosen to sacrifice the hostages,” she said. “There’s an agreement on the table that can save living hostages and bring deceased ones back for a proper burial,” Miran Lavi added, as per Times Of Israel. “Hamas has agreed, but the Prime Minister’s Office is working on torpedoing it, which will be a death sentence for the living hostages and condemn the deceased ones to remain lost.” Hostage Numbers, Previous Deals According to Israeli figures cited by Times of Israel, 50 hostages remain in Gaza — 49 abducted on 7 October and the body of a soldier killed in 2014. Authorities say 28 are confirmed dead, 20 are believed alive, and the condition of two remains uncertain. Hamas released 105 captives during the first ceasefire deal in November 2023, followed by 30 more in early 2025, alongside the return of eight bodies. Five others were freed separately, eight were rescued by Israeli forces, and the remains of 49 hostages have been retrieved since the start of the war.