US proposal would allow 150,000 Gazans to return to north of Strip — report

The Wall Street Journal reports that an American proposal for a Gaza truce and hostage deal would see 150,000 Palestinians allowed to return to the north of the Strip.

Israel has sought to limit the number of men allowed to return to the north over concerns that Hamas members could slip through and re-establish control, rolling back Israeli military gains that sought to oust the terror group from its power base.

No source is cited in the Wall Street Journal report, which notes that a previous Israeli offer included allowing 60,000 to return north.

Over a million Gazans are thought to have fled from the north in the first months of the fighting, which had concentrated on Gaza City and its environs. Many of them are now in the far southern city of Rafah, which Israel says it must conquer next to complete its goal of eliminating the terror group.

Hamas has demanded Gazans be allowed unfettered access to the north as part of any hostage deal, along with an end to the fighting and a total withdrawal of troops.

Previous reports have noted the issue of a return north as one of several major sticking points in talks taking place in Cairo now.

The Journal report quotes Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator, saying that the latest proposal, which was put forward by CIA chief William Burns over the weekend, does not address whether the truce will be temporary, as Israel insists on, or intended to end the war, a Hamas demand.