Mediators work on proposal for long-term truce as Israeli strike on Gaza
kills 23
[April 23, 2025]
By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY
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.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas to release the
hostages in order to “block Israel’s pretexts” for continuing the war.
He reiterated his demands that Hamas give up their arms, referring to
them as “sons of dogs” in unusually strong language during a speech in
the West Bank.
Abbas, who heads the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, has no
influence over Hamas but is seeking a role in postwar Gaza.
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.
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Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli airstrike early
this morning on Yaffa School, in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 23,
2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo.
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