Tel Aviv / PNN /

Israel’s Security Cabinet convened late Sunday to discuss the next steps in its military push to seize control of Gaza City, as families of hostages held by Palestinian factions staged a protest outside army headquarters in Tel Aviv.

An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post the cabinet would not debate the possibility of reaching a partial agreement.

“The decision taken in the last cabinet meeting still stands: only a deal that secures the release of all hostages,” the official said.

The meeting lasted nearly six hours, with ministers leaving around 1:45 a.m. Monday.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, who heads the army’s Hostages and Missing Persons Directorate, was not invited to the meeting, with officials explaining that no negotiations over a potential prisoner deal were on the agenda.

Israeli media reported divisions within the cabinet over a possible partial agreement for the release of hostages. Most ministers opposed the idea, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded a formal vote against it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the proposal would not be brought to a vote, stressing it was not on the government’s agenda at this stage.

The debate underscores mounting internal tensions within Israel’s leadership over how to handle the hostage issue amid growing political and security pressures