Egyptian security officials and senior officials in Gaza and Ramallah have told the Yisrael Hayom newspaper that Israel and Egypt are preparing for the next stage of a long-term Gaza arrangement.
According to the sources, the next stage will include the removal of most types of weapons from Gaza, with the exception of light weapons - to be supervised - in exchange for the lifting of the security blockade and a series of international projects to improve the situation there. Internal security wwould remain in the hands of Hamas, but the organization would give up heavy weapons.