Netanyahu says he will give final approval for Gaza City takeover

Having been buried under rubble following an Israeli airstrike on her home, Saja Hamad tells how she made her final prayers, assuming she wouldn’t make it out alive.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the UK has been summoned to explain plans to split the Occupied West Bank in two, ITV News’ John Irvine and Caroline Lewis report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will give final approval for the takeover of Gaza City while also restarting negotiations over hostages held by Hamas.

During a visit to the Israeli military’s Gaza command, Netanyahu said he had instructed officials to “begin immediate negotiations on the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel”.

The wide-scale operation in Gaza City could start within days after Netanyahu grants final approval at a meeting with senior security officials.

Hamas said earlier this week that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators , which, if accepted by Israel, could forestall the offensive.

Israel’s military has said it is calling up 60,000 reservists ahead of an expanded military operation in Gaza City.

The planned offensive has sparked international outrage and fuelled fears of another mass displacement among Palestinians.

Palestinians have said there is nowhere to flee after 22 months of war that has killed tens of thousands of people and destroyed much of the territory.

Israeli strikes meanwhile killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals.

The Israeli military has encouraged people in the northern Gaza strip to evacuate ahead of the planned offensive / Credit: AP

Separately, the UK Foreign Office has summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely over Israel’s approval of a major settlement in Palestine’s West Bank.

The move follows Israel’s decision to go ahead with the E1 settlement east of Jerusalem, which would effectively cut the West Bank in two.

In a joint statement on Thursday, foreign ministers from the UK, EU and 20 other countries called on Tel Aviv to reverse the decision, saying it would bring “no benefits to the Israeli people” and “risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability”.