Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir says military ‘created the conditions’ for a captive deal with Hamas as Israel steps up attacks in Gaza.

The Israeli military chief has reportedly said that “a deal was on the table” to free the captives held in Gaza and the military offensive to seize Gaza City would pose “great danger” to the lives of captives, according to Israeli media.

“Now it’s in Netanyahu’s hands,” Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir was quoted as saying by Israel’s Channel 13 news during his visit to the Haifa naval base on Sunday.

Zamir claimed that the army’s assault on Gaza, which has driven the enclave towards famine and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, has “created the conditions” for a captive deal with Hamas.

“As a result of the military pressure, we created the conditions for the release of the hostages,” he said, according to an official statement released by the Israeli military and reported by Israeli media.

The comments come as Israel’s security cabinet is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss the latest truce proposal mediated by Qatar and Egypt. Tens of thousands of Israelis have protested, calling on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war and bring back the captives.

Last week, Hamas said it had accepted the new proposals, which call for a temporary cessation of military operations for 60 days, during which the entry of humanitarian aid would be allowed, and half of the 50 Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

But Israel has gone ahead with its plan to seize Gaza City – home to nearly one million people – despite a United Nations-backed body last week declaring famine in Gaza amid an Israeli curbs on the entry of food items.

Close to 514,000 people are experiencing famine, with the number due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said last week.

Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 11 more people, including two children, have died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours. That brings the total number of hunger- and malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza to 300, including 117 children.

On Monday, Israel bombed a hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, killing five journalists, including Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama. Rescue workers were among the 20 killed in the attack, which has triggered outrage and condemnation.

Israel has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since it launched its devastating war on Gaza in October 2023.