Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that ongoing ceasefire efforts in Gaza are now focused on securing the release of all remaining hostages in a single agreement.

The approach marks a shift from an earlier proposal, which called for a 60-day truce and the partial release of living hostages. Netanyahu told Israel’s i24News channel on Tuesday that a partial deal was “behind us,” adding: “I want all of them — the release of all the hostages, both alive and dead.”

Hamas says a delegation of its leaders is in Cairo for “preliminary talks” with Egyptian officials. Regional mediators believe there may be a brief window to reach an agreement in the coming weeks. However, Netanyahu is under growing domestic pressure over both the hostages and his plans to expand Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas collapsed last month, after which Israel announced a plan to capture all of Gaza, including areas where most of the enclave’s two million residents have fled. Israeli media reports say the expanded operation is unlikely to begin before October, as preparations; including a mass call-up of reservists, are still underway.

Meanwhile, air strikes have intensified. The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 123 Palestinians were killed in the past day. Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza City, with large explosions in the Zaytoun area. Hospitals said entire families were killed in separate strikes on tents and houses.

Israel’s military chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir on Wednesday approved the “main framework” for new operations in Gaza. Netanyahu insists the war will not end until Hamas surrenders and all hostages are returned, while reiterating that Israel must maintain long-term security control over the territory.

Hamas continues to demand a complete Israeli withdrawal, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. It rejects disarmament without such a deal.

The UN and aid agencies warn that Gaza faces famine, with severe shortages of food and medicine due to Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid. The conflict, sparked by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 taken hostage, has so far left at least 61,722 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry.