Arab mediators are working on an initiative to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas that would include a five- to seven-year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, official sources said on Wednesday.
Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed 23 people overnight, according to local health officials.
Egypt and Qatar are continuing to work on a proposal that would include a phased Israeli withdrawal from the territory and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas spokesman.
Last month, Israel ended a truce with Hamas and said it would continue fighting until all hostages were returned and Hamas was either destroyed or disarmed and driven out.
He closed the territory to imports, including food, and said he would hold parts of it indefinitely.
Hamas has said it will release the dozens of hostages it still holds only in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in a now-annulled deal reached in January.
A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo late Tuesday to discuss the proposal.
An Egyptian official said the proposed internationally guaranteed truce would last between five and seven years and that Gaza would be governed by a committee of independent technocrats – a measure accepted by Hamas.
A Hamas spokesman said the group was open to a long-term truce that included a full Israeli withdrawal and international guarantees, naming Russia, China, Turkey or the UN Security Council as possible guarantors.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
