Palestinian Authority should govern Gaza, Macron tells Netanyahu

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (4 June) told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Palestinian Authority should "ensure the governance" of the Gaza Strip, the presidential office said.

Macron in phone talks backed the proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal presented by US President Joe Biden.

"This deal should reopen a credible perspective for the implementation of a two-state solution, the only one able to provide Israel with the necessary security guarantees and to respond to the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians," he said.

"Gaza must be an integral part of a future Palestinian state, and a reformed and reinforced Palestinian Authority, with the help of the international community, should ensure its governance," he added.

In a bid to boost mediation efforts after almost eight months of war, Biden on Friday said that Israel was offering a new three-stage roadmap. According to the US president, Israel's offer would begin with a six-week phase that would see its forces withdraw from populated areas of Gaza and an initial hostage-prisoner exchange.

The parties would then negotiate for a lasting ceasefire, with the truce to continue as long as talks are ongoing. In its final phase, the plan would lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Palestinian militant group Hamas in power, Biden said.