Israeli forces advanced farther into Gaza City on Saturday, with tanks reaching the outskirts of the Sabra neighborhood, Palestinian reports said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the army’s plan to seize the city while leaving hostage negotiations unresolved.
IDF tanks spotted in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood
The only deal currently on the table is a partial proposal under which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, including some serving life sentences. The plan, drafted by Egypt and Qatar, would also include a 60-day temporary ceasefire and expanded humanitarian aid under UN and Red Cross supervision.
Netanyahu has not ruled out such a deal but has also pressed for a comprehensive agreement requiring Hamas to disarm, the Gaza Strip to be demilitarized and a non-Hamas governing authority to be established. In return, Israel would release a large number of Palestinian prisoners and permit reconstruction aid to flow into Gaza.
Diplomatic efforts have run parallel to intensified fighting. The IDF has been operating for days in Gaza City’s Zeitoun district, and Saturday’s reported tank movement into nearby Sabra signaled further penetration into the urban core.
The uncertainty deepened Friday when U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed fewer than 20 hostages remain alive, contradicting official Israeli figures. Israel’s hostage affairs coordinator, Gal Hirsch, quickly reassured families that 20 hostages are confirmed alive, there’s fear for the lives of two of them and 28 are confirmed dead.
Meanwhile, families of hostages announced new nationwide protests beginning Sunday, calling on the government to secure the release of all captives and to bring the war to an end.
