An independent and technocratic government can govern the Palestinian Gaza Strip and the West Bank after the ongoing war, suggests Hamas in the negotiations for a lasting ceasefire.
In the talks, Hamas has put forward a proposal for a politically neutral administration with people selected based on merit and competence, announces Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, the extreme Islamist movement's highest political leadership.
"The government of Gaza after the war is an internal Palestinian issue without external interference, and we will not discuss what happens after the war in Gaza with any external parties", Badran further announces, after the proposal has been submitted to the mediating parties.
A Hamas source tells AFP that the proposed government would govern the two Palestinian territories in an initial phase, in preparation for future elections.
Hamas announces its latest proposal shortly after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised demands for Israel to control the Philadelphia corridor, the Israeli designation for a narrow strip of land stretching along the southern border of the Gaza Strip towards Egypt.
Israeli control is absolutely necessary to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas in the future, according to Netanyahu. But it also goes against Hamas' demands for Israel's military forces to leave Gaza entirely after a ceasefire has been reached.
Netanyahu's office announced on Thursday that an Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo for further talks.
