Mediators work on proposal for long-term truce as Israeli strike on Gaza kills 23
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Arab mediators are working on a proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war that would include a five to seven year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, officials said Wednesday. An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed 23 people, according to local health authorities.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the strike. France, Germany and Britain meanwhile said Israel’s seven-week-old blockade on all imports to Gaza, including food, was “intolerable,” in unusually strong criticism from three of the country’s closest allies.
Egypt and Qatar are still developing the proposal, which would include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas last month and has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It has sealed off the territory from all imports, including food, and says it will hold parts of it indefinitely.
Hamas has said it will only release the dozens of hostages it still holds in return for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in the now-defunct agreement reached in January. A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo late Tuesday to discuss the evolving proposal.
A long-term truce
The Egyptian official said the proposed truce, with international guarantees, would last between five and seven years, and that a committee of politically independent technocrats would govern Gaza — a measure Hamas has accepted.
The Hamas official said the militant group is open to a long-term truce that includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and international guarantees, naming Russia, China, Turkey or the United Nations Security Council as possible guarantors.
Turkey, a regional heavyweight that has had tense ties with Israel in recent years, recently joined the negotiations, the Egyptian official said.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials. But Israel has ruled out any arrangement that would allow Hamas to preserve its influence in Gaza and rearm. The Trump administration, which has also been involved in the ceasefire talks, has said it fully supports Israel’s position.
Israel and the U.S. have pressed Hamas to accept a temporary truce in which it would immediately release several hostages in return for vague promises of talks on a more permanent ceasefire. Hamas has rejected those proposals and says it won’t disarm as long as Israel occupies Palestinian territory.
The Hamas official said the group does not trust either Netanyahu or the U.S. after they shattered the existing ceasefire agreement, which had facilitated the release of over 30 hostages.
The Egyptian official said mediators had the impression that President Donald Trump wants a deal before he visits the region next month. Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to May 16.
Israeli strike kills 23 in Gaza City
An overnight strike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, killing at least 23 people, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, the Health Ministry official in charge of records.
The Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, said it recovered another four bodies from strikes on two homes in the same area. It said there are more people trapped under the rubble.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. The militants still have 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
France, Germany and Britain condemn Israeli food blockade
Israel ended the ceasefire last month by launching a surprise bombardment across the territory that killed hundreds of Palestinians. Ground forces have expanded a buffer zone along the border, encircled the southern city of Rafah and now controls around 50% of the territory.
Israel has also sealed the territory off from all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies since the beginning of March in what it says is a tactic to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Aid groups say thousands of children are malnourished and most people are surviving on one meal a day or less.
“The Israeli decision to block aid from entering Gaza is intolerable,” France, Germany and Britain said in their joint statement. They also condemned recent remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said the blockade was a pressure tactic and that troops would remain in parts of Gaza indefinitely.
“Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change. Israel is bound under international law to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid,” the European statement said.
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Magdy reported from Cairo.
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