Deir al -Balah, Gaza Strip (AP) – An Israeli strike overnight on a school that has become a shelter in Gaza killed 23 people, while Arab mediators worked on a proposal To end war with Hamas This would include a truce of five to seven years and the release of all the remaining hostages, officials announced on Wednesday.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the strike, which put several fires on fire, burning living people. The army claims that it only targets activists and blames civilian deaths in Hamas because its fighters are anchored in densely populated areas. Six other people were killed in separate strikes, including 5 -year -old twins.
France, Germany and Great Britain have said that Israel seven -week blockade On all imports to Gaza, including food, was “intolerable”, unusually criticizing three of the country’s closest allies.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Hamas to release the hostages to “block the pretexts of Israel” to continue the war. He reiterated his requests that Hamas abandoned weapons, calling them “sons of dogs” in unusually strong language during a West Bank.
Abbas, who heads Palestinian authority on the western backhas no influence on Hamas but is looking for a role in post-war Gaza. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said that anyone making such insults “lost their physical, psychological and mental eligibility for these management positions”.
A truce of a year and a progressive withdrawal
Egypt and Qatar still develop the proposal, which would include the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official who spoke under the cover of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
Israel has ended a ceasefire with Hamas Last month and promised to continue the war until all the hostages returned and Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and sent in exile. He says He will indefinitely hold parts of Gaza and implement President Donald Trump’s proposal For the resettlement of the population in other countries, which has been largely rejected abroad.
Hamas said that he would only release the dozens of hostages which he has in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as planned in the now disappeared agreement concluded in January. A delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo Tuesday evening to discuss the evolution proposal.
The Egyptian official said that the proposed truce, with international guarantees, would last between five and seven years, and that a political committee of politically independent technocrats would govern Gaza – a measure of Hamas has accepted.
The head of Hamas said that the militant group was open to a long -term truce which includes the full withdrawal of Israeli forces and international guarantees, appointing Russia, China, Turkey or the United Nations Security Council as possible.
Israel and the United States say that Hamas must be destroyed or deleted
There was no immediate comments from Israeli officials. Israel has excluded any arrangement that would allow Hamas To preserve its influence in Gaza and rearm. The Trump administration, which was also involved in the cease-fire talks, said that it fully supported Israel.
Israel and the United States have prompted Hamas to accept a temporary truce in which it would immediately release several hostages in exchange for waves promises of talks on a more permanent ceasefire. Hamas has rejected these proposals and says that it will not disarm until Israel occupies the Palestinian territory.
The Hamas official said that the group did not trust The release of more than 30 hostages And nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The Egyptian official said the mediators felt like Trump wanted an agreement before visiting the region next month. Trump will go to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16.
France, Germany and Great Britain condemn Israeli food blocking
Israel ended the ceasefire by launching a surprise bombardment through the territory which killed hundreds of Palestinians. Land forces have expanded a buffer area along the border and surrounded the southern city of Rafah and now controls About 50% of the territory.
Israel says that military operations and tightened blocking are tactics to put Hamas to release the hostages. Help groups say that thousands of children are poorly fed and that most people survive one meal a day or less.
“The Israeli decision to block the entrance to Gaza is intolerable,” said France, Germany and Great Britain in their declaration. They also condemned the recent remarks of the Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz, who declared that the blockade was a tactic of pressure and that the troops would indefinitely hold parts of Gaza.
“Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool and the Palestinian territory should not be reduced or subject to any demographic change. Israel is linked under international law to allow the passage without hindrance of humanitarian aid,” the European press release said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, rejected criticism, contesting in an article on social networks that there is a shortage of assistance in Gaza. He said that Israel had the right to block the aid because he says that Hamas captures it for its own use.
In addition to the school strike, civil defense, the first stakeholders who operate under the government managed by Hamas, said that it had recovered four branches from two houses in the same region. Another strike struck a house east of Gaza City, killing the twins, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The offensive of Israel killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, according to the Ministry of Health, who does not say how many deaths were combatants or civilians. Israel says he killed around 20,000 activists, without providing evidence.
The war began when activists led by Hamas storm southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians and removing 251. Militants still have 59 hostages, 24 of whom are considered to be alive, after most of the others were released in cease-up and other agreements.
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Magdy reported to Cairo.
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