Tel Aviv: As the cease-fire talk in the eight-month-long Israel-Hamas war is underway, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office said that the government is united in its desire to return the hostages as soon as possible and is now working to achieve this goal.

"The Government of Israel is united in its desire to return the hostages as soon as possible and is working to achieve this goal."

The PM's Office in a tweet on X said that Netanyahu had authorised the negotiating team to present a proposal to the end which would also enable Israel to continue the war until all its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas's military and other governing capabilities.

"The Prime Minister authorized the negotiating team to present a proposal to that end, which would also enable Israel to continue the war until all its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities," the post read.

"The actual proposal put forward by Israel, including the conditional transition from one phase to the next, allows Israel to uphold these principles," it added.

This comes as in his first major address outlining a solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, United States President Joe Biden said the proposal started with a six-week phase that would see Israeli forces withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza.

Earlier, in a televised address at the White House, Biden said, "It's time for this war to end, for the day after to begin," adding that "we can't lose this moment" to seize the chance for peace.

The President laid a 3-phase proposal to bring a cease-fire to the war. The Democratic president in his remarks called this proposal a "road map to an enduring cease-fire and the release of all hostages."

"And as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, the temporary cease-fire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, the cessation of hostilities permanently," he said.

This development comes as on Friday, May 31, congressional leaders invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address at the US Capitol. The invitation came from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, which has been in the works for some time though there is great concern, especially among the Democrats, about Israel's pursuit of the war.