‘Longer Truce, Return Of Hostages’: Mediators Propose New Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Plan — Report

<p>Mediators in the Israel-Hamas war have proposed a new ceasefire plan to end the war in Gaza, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told BBC. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The deal, proposed by Qatari and Egyptian mediators includes longer duration of the truce and exchange of hostages and prisoners.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The new formula envisages a truce lasting between five and seven years, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a formal end to the war, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A senior Hamas delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for consultations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The last ceasefire snapped a month after Israel resumed bombing Gaza, with both sides blaming each other for the failure of the truce.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As per the report, Israel has not commented on the mediator’s plan.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href=”https://news.abplive.com/news/world/pope-francis-death-last-message-remembers-people-of-gaza-easter-message-no-peace-without-freedom-1766747″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Pope Francis Prayed For People Of Gaza In Last Easter Message: ‘No Peace Without Freedom Of….'</a></strong></p>
<h2>Hamas Ready To Hand Over Governance&nbsp;</h2>
<p>According to the Palestinian official, Hamas has expressed its readiness to hand over the governance of Gaza to any Palestinian entity agreed upon “at the national and regional level”.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It could be the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) or a newly formed adminsitrative body, the official said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out any role for the PA in the future governance of Gaza, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The ceasefire talks will be joined the head of Hamas’ political ouncil, Mohammed Darwish, and its lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The meeting comes days after the movement rejected Israel’s latest proposal which included a demand for Hamas to disarm in return for a six-week truce.</p>
<p>On Saturday, Netanyahu said he would not end the war before Hamas was destroyed and all the hostages returned. The Palestinian militant group has meanwhile demanded Israel commit to ending the war before the hostages are freed.&nbsp;</p>