JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that he would only agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas if it allows Israel to resume its military operations in Gaza following the release of hostages.

As international mediators prepare for upcoming talks in Cairo to advance negotiations, Netanyahu outlined five non-negotiable conditions to end the nine-month conflict.

Netanyahu also insisted that the deal must prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into Gaza from Egypt and prohibit the return of "thousands of armed Hamas militants" to northern Gaza

He emphasized that any agreement must permit Israel to continue its operations in Gaza "until all the goals of the war have been met". Those goals were defined at the start of the war as dismantling Hamas' military and governing capabilities, as well as returning the hostages.

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"The plan that has been agreed to by Israel and which has been welcomed by President Biden will allow Israel to return hostages without infringing on the other objectives of the war," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also insisted that the deal must prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into Gaza from Egypt and prohibit the return of "thousands of armed Hamas militants" to northern Gaza.

Addressing the issue of hostages, Netanyahu pledged to secure the release of as many hostages as possible from Gaza, where over 100 individuals are still held captive, some feared dead.

Also on Sunday, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will maintain its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even if a ceasefire agreement is reached in Gaza

Netanyahu was scheduled to hold consultations late on Sunday on the next steps in negotiating the three-phase plan that was presented in May by US President Joe Biden and is being mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

READ MORE: Source: Hamas accepts US proposal on talks over Israeli hostages

The new talks follow months of failed attempts to reach a ceasefire in stop-start negotiations that several times led nowhere after Washington said a deal was close.

A Palestinian official close to the talks said the proposal could lead to a framework agreement if embraced by Israel and would end the war.

"We have left our response with the mediators and are waiting to hear the occupation's response," one of the two Hamas officials told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

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Another Palestinian official with knowledge of the ceasefire deliberations said Israel was in talks with the Qataris and that a response was expected within days.

Also on Sunday, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will maintain its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even if a ceasefire agreement is reached in Gaza.

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Gallant said the conflict in Gaza and on the northern border with Hezbollah are "two separate sectors", clarifying that Israel would not be bound by development in Gaza unless Hezbollah also reached an agreement with Israel.