The yet-to-be finalised framework aims to address the contentious issue of what to do with Hamas’ weapons, with Israel seeking full disarmament and Hamas refusing. The official directly involved in the efforts said discussions are underway about “freezing arms,” which may involve Hamas retaining but not using its weapons. It also calls for the group to relinquish power in the strip.

A Palestinian-Arab committee would run Gaza and oversee the reconstruction efforts until the establishment of a Palestinian administration with a new police force, trained by two US allies in the Middle East, to take over the strip, the official said. It is unclear what role the Western-backed Palestinian Authority would play.

The second official said the US administration has been briefed on the broad lines of the framework.

A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media, said the group has yet to receive details on the latest efforts to revive ceasefire talks.

AP reached out to the governments in Qatar, Egypt and Israel as well as the White House for comment.

Wishes for an end to the war

US envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families during his recent visit that Israel was shifting its approach to pursue a comprehensive “all-or-nothing” deal aimed at ending the war and securing the release of hostages, a person who attended the meeting told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak about the private meeting.

Israelis united behind the war in the aftermath of the October 7 attack, but dissent has steadily grown as hostages have languished in captivity. Some families of the hostages and their supporters have staged large protests calling for a ceasefire with Hamas that would bring their loved ones home.

“All of Israel wants a comprehensive deal and an end to the war,” Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said in a statement on Friday. “For the State of Israel to guarantee the security of its citizens, we must end this injustice that has been done to our loved ones for 22 months.”

There is nothing here to occupy

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and carried out numerous raids there, only to return to neighborhoods again and again as militants regrouped. Today, it is one of the few areas in Gaza that has not been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders.

Umm Youssef from Gaza City said she had left the city for over 16 months before returning to her home.

“The area is all rubble. Rubble is an overstatement, it is a sandpile. There is nothing here to occupy. There is no life here,” she said.

A major ground operation there could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the hunger-stricken territory.

At least six Palestinians were shot dead and more than 140 were wounded on Friday at the Israeli-run Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza, where UN aid convoys enter, according to Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital, which received the dead and wounded. He said all six were killed by Israeli gunfire. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

It is unclear how many people are still in Gaza City. Hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the conflict, but many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year.