Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Gaza ceasefire efforts are now focused on a comprehensive deal to release all the remaining hostages at once. The plan previously being pushed was for an initial 60-day truce and partial release of living hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting that ceasefire efforts are now focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages in Gaza all at once.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to escalate the nearly two-year Gaza war, demanding an immediate end to the campaign and for the release of the hostages.

Mothers of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, including one who appeared emaciated in a recent Hamas video, voiced fears on Tuesday that a planned Israeli offensive could further endanger their sons' lives due to the risk of reprisals.

A group representing many of the hostages’ families has said the Israeli security cabinet’s plan to take control of Gaza City could further endanger their loved ones.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, as well as the opposition and a large part of the Israeli public, are strongly against the expansion of the operation, arguing it would put their loved ones at even more risk.