Egypt says removing Hamas unrealistic, terror group should be included in post-war Gaza – Report

Any talk of the complete removal of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from the postwar Gazan political scene is not realistic, and it would be better to strive for a consensus on the political structure of the Strip, says an Egyptian source to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadid (The New Arab).

The source, who is familiar with the negotiation process mediated by Cairo to formulate a postwar vision for Gaza, says that the US administration has been pushing for a scenario that does not include Hamas and insisting that a solution to the future administration of Gaza be found before the end of the war, in a way that will ensure Israel’s security and prevent a repeat of the October 7 assault.

Cairo, the source adds, has been seeking to draft a proposal that does not exclude Hamas but rather includes it as a partner though not as a main actor, with a mechanism to oversee its activities.

This week, Cairo presented the Hamas leadership with a three-stage plan to end the war and gradually transfer control of Gaza to a technocratic Palestinian government, but the offer was rejected by the terror group.

Nevertheless, Egypt has been pursuing negotiations with all relevant parties to come to an agreed-upon solution for Gaza after the war. The Egyptian source reports that an Israeli delegation and a Palestinian Authority delegation visited Cairo two days ago.