Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv on Jan 7, 2024. (PHOTO / POOL / AFP)

RAMALLAH/CAIRO – The Palestinian authorities on Friday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's post-war plan for the Gaza Strip.

The plan is an official recognition "of the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, and Israel's imposition of control over it to prolong the war against our people, and an attempt to gain more time to implement the displacement plan," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement.

READ MORE: Israel's Netanyahu unveils plan for post-war Gaza

Moreover, the plan is "a blatant maneuver to oppose and thwart international efforts to link ceasefire agreements and the release of prisoners and hostages with resolving the conflict and materializing a Palestinian state on the ground," according to the statement.

Netanyahu's principles explain the reason for his hostility and exclusion of the legitimate Palestinian authority, and reveal his rejection of the Palestinian state and political solutions to the conflict.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Palestine

Netanyahu presented the plan to his security cabinet on Thursday night, which outlined principles regarding the management of the Gaza Strip after the conflict.

The plan calls for tightening Israel's security grip on Gaza. Under the proposed plan, Israel will "maintain operational freedom of military actions throughout the Gaza Strip, without time constraints," to prevent the resurgence of hostilities from the Palestinian enclave.

Defying international calls for Palestinian statehood after the war, the plan shows Israel plans to maintain "security control" over the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"Netanyahu's principles explain the reason for his hostility and exclusion of the legitimate Palestinian authority, and reveal his rejection of the Palestinian state and political solutions to the conflict," the ministry added.

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The Palestinian ministry urged the US administration and the international community to quickly recognize the Palestinian state and support its full membership in the United Nations, and to begin international arrangements to hold a peace conference that "leads to an end of the (Israeli) occupation and enables our people to exercise their right to self-determination freely". 

Hamas team wraps up visit to Cairo

A high-level delegation of the Gaza-ruling Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) wrapped up its visit to the Egyptian capital Cairo on Friday after meeting senior Egyptian officials on the situation of the war-torn Gaza Strip, Egypt's al-Qahera News reported.

The Hamas delegation, headed by the movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh, held several meetings with Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service, to discuss the situation in the Palestinian enclave, the report said.

The two sides discussed ways to put an end to Israel's attacks on the Palestinian people and the return of the displaced Palestinians to their homes.

READ MORE: G20 says two-state solution only answer to Israel-Palestinian crisis

They also addressed the construction of shelters in the northern Gaza Strip and methods for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to the report.

Both sides also discussed a hostage swap deal between Hamas and Israel as well as Israel's plan to restrict Palestinians' entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the report added.