Overview

• The Prime Minister’s Office announced that Israel will accept only a single-stage exchange that secures the release of all hostages in one operation.
• Israel’s conditions include dismantling Hamas’s arsenal, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, Israeli control over security perimeters, and installing a governing body in Gaza that excludes Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
• Topaz Luk, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Netanyahu, said politics must be removed from the hostage issue and asserted that the cabinet believes such a comprehensive deal is attainable.
• The cabinet has approved a chief of staff–endorsed plan to seize Gaza City, with military teams working to protect hostages.
• International mediators are under pressure as uncompromising demands and military planning intensify tensions over ceasefire proposals.