JERUSALEM/LONDON/GAZA/UNITED NATIONS - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had instructed officials to begin "immediate negotiations" for the release of hostages in Gaza and an end to the war, while also vowing to approve military plans to seize Gaza City.

"I came to approve the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces) plans to take control of Gaza City and to defeat Hamas," Netanyahu said during a visit to a military base near the Palestinian enclave.

"At the same time, I instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel," he said.

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Netanyahu did not say how or where the negotiations would begin. Israel's Ynet news site, citing a senior official, reported that no delegation is expected to depart for Doha or Cairo at this stage.

An Israeli official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Netanyahu and his security cabinet were expected to convene on Thursday night to give final approval for the assault on the enclave's largest city,

The announcement came a day after the military mobilized 60,000 reservists and said 20,000 more would be called up in the coming days.

Earlier this week, Hamas agreed to a proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators for a temporary truce and the release of hostages. Israel has not yet publicly issued an official response.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu also said earlier this week that Israel would agree to end the offensive only if five conditions were met: Hamas's disarmament, the release of hostages, Gaza's demilitarization, Israeli security control over the enclave, and the appointment of a non-Israeli body to run daily life there which, he stressed, would not be Hamas or the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

Israeli forces continued bombardments of Gaza City overnight and carried out strikes elsewhere, killing at least 70 people and wounding 356 others, according to Gaza's health authorities. The death toll from Israeli strikes and shootings since Oct 7, 2023, has risen to 62,192, with 157,114 others wounded, the authorities said.

Also on Thursday, Britain, together with 22 partners condemned the decision of Israel's Higher Planning Committee to approve more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, according to a statement issued by the British government.

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The decision by Israel is "unacceptable and a violation of international law. We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms," said the joint statement.

The joint statement was signed by foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Britain, as well as the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

Israeli airstrikes

At least 45 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday as the Israeli army stepped up military pressure ahead of a possible attack on Gaza City.

Eight people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential home in the al-Sabra neighborhood, which has been subjected to intense shelling for several days in southern Gaza City, said Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza's civil defense authority.

Basal said six people, including four children, were killed in an airstrike on a Palestinian gathering in the Sabra neighborhood in southern Gaza City. He added that four others, including three brothers, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house east of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood north of the city.

Another four people were killed in an Israeli drone attack on a Palestinian gathering in the town of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, according to Basal. He also noted that five farmers were killed in an airstrike northwest of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.

Basal added that five people were killed in an airstrike on a house in the al-Shanti area of northern Gaza City, while three others were killed when an Israeli drone struck a motorcycle in the al-Tawam area northwest of the city.

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He noted that 10 people were killed by Israeli army gunfire near two aid distribution centers, seven of them at the Netzarim junction in the central Gaza Strip and three north of the city of Rafah.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.

Bombardment devastates civilians

The relentless bombardment in and around Gaza City before Israel's threatened takeover of the region is having devastating consequences for civilians, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that their human rights colleagues reported high numbers of civilian casualties and large-scale destruction caused by intensified Israeli attacks in eastern and southern Gaza City, particularly the Az Zaytoun area.

Since Aug 8, more than 50 residential structures have been hit, killing at least 87 Palestinians, said OCHA.

 Meanwhile, hunger and malnutrition among children are deepening. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday that July was Gaza's deadliest month for child malnutrition deaths, with 24 children under the age of 5 reportedly dying. This was already 85 percent of the total for this year.

UNICEF warned that all 320,000 children under 5 are at risk of acute malnutrition, increasing illness and long-term health risks.

OCHA said its partners are reporting a rise in child labor, with children collecting rubble and engaging in street vending and other informal work. Psychological distress is widespread among children who have been repeatedly displaced.

Seek international protection

Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza City on Thursday, demanding an end to the ongoing conflict with Israel and calling for international protection for civilians.

The protest, held in front of the Rashad Shawa Cultural Center in the city center, brought together men, women, and children carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading, "No to displacement," "Stop the war," and "International protection is a right for civilians".

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Organizers said the demonstration, named the "Last Hour Movement," was intended to highlight the suffering of residents in the Gaza Strip who have been enduring nearly two years of war.

 Shaimaa Abu Amra, a protester from Gaza, told Xinhua that the protest reflected the depth of public frustration.

"When ordinary people beyond political factions take to the streets, it shows how difficult life has become. They are sending a message not only to Israel, but also to the international community and Palestinian leaders," she said.

She added that the protest was part of a wider campaign that has continued since the outbreak of the war. She urged unions, civil society organizations, and intellectuals to join efforts to demand an end to the conflict.

The demonstration also reflected the humanitarian challenges facing Gaza's population.