Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised interview this week that cease-fire negotiations are now centred on a comprehensive agreement that would see all of the remaining Gaza hostages released simultaneously. “I want all of them,” he told i24 News, adding that the prospect of a phased deal was “behind us.” His remarks echo briefings from Israeli officials, including the head of Mossad, who told Qatari mediators that Jerusalem will now discuss only a full exchange tied to ending the 22-month war. Egypt and Qatar, which have brokered previous truces, are drafting a new framework that would pair the release of roughly 50 captives—about 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive—with a lasting cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, according to regional diplomats. Hamas maintains it will free the hostages only if Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, pulls out of Gaza and agrees to a durable halt in fighting. Israel insists the war will not end unless all hostages come home and Hamas surrenders its arms and control of the territory. Netanyahu’s shift comes as Israel threatens to broaden its ground offensive into areas that now shelter most of Gaza’s two million residents, amid mounting international criticism and domestic pressure from hostage families. The conflict has so far killed an estimated 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and displaced the vast majority of the enclave’s population. The UN World Food Programme says starvation and malnutrition are at their worst levels since the war began, with at least 235 deaths linked to hunger. Israel launched the campaign after Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted 251 on 7 October 2023.