Who will run the Gaza Strip in the future? It's long been one of the sticking points in ceasefire talks to end the 18-month-long conflict in the coastal enclave. And this week, the question appeared to become relevant once again.

An anonymous, senior Palestinian official, familiar with ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Gaza-based militant group Hamas, told British broadcaster BBC that "Hamas has signaled its readiness to hand over governance of Gaza to any Palestinian entity agreed upon 'at the national and regional level'."

The official told the BBC that this could be the Palestinian Authority, or PA, which runs the occupied West Bank, or a newly formed body of some kind. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he rules out any role for the PA in Gaza.

The comments came in the context of ongoing, indirect ceasefire negotiations being led by Egypt and Qatar. According to the official who spoke to the BBC, the new ceasefire proposal "envisages a truce lasting between five and seven years, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, a formal end to the war, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza."

Since the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the

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