Hamas proposed the formation of an independent government from personalities where they do not belong to any party for the governance of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank after the war, said a member of the politburo of the Islamic movement that runs the Palestinian enclave.

“We proposed one non-partisan government with national powers to govern Gaza and the West Bank after the war,” says Hossam Badran in a statement on the negotiations taking place in Doha and Cairo through mediators between Hamas and Israel, under the auspices of the US, Qatar and Egypt, with the aim of releasing the hostages and ending hostilities.

“The governance of Gaza after the war is an internal Palestinian matter in which there should be no external interference, and we are not going to discuss the issue of post-war Gaza with any foreign side,” adds Bhadran.

A senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the proposal for the government by independent personalities presented “together with the mediators”.

This government will manage “the affairs of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during the first post-war phase and pave the way for elections.”

At the diplomatic level, negotiators continue efforts to conclude a cease-fire agreement and find a solution for the governance of Gaza.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to say that with or without a deal, he will continue the war “until all the goals” that have been set are achieved, in other words the elimination of Hamas and the release of all hostages.

Last night, he said his government intended to maintain zone control on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, which was seized in early May, to prevent “weapons smuggling” to Hamas forces from Egyptian territory.

This demand, to maintain control of “the Philadelphia Corridor and the Rafah crossing point,” is part of the “four principles” that Israel set out in the negotiations, Mr. Netanyahu added, while Hamas for its part demands that the Israeli army withdraw from this zone.