France says plan for post-war Gaza must 'entirely' exclude Hamas

France welcomed on Thursday an Arab plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority, adding that Hamas should be "entirely" excluded from running the territory.

The proposal from Arab leaders "constitutes a serious and credible basis to respond to reconstruction, governance and security needs after the Gaza war," French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said.

But "the plan must entirely exclude Hamas from governing Gaza, where it must be disarmed and give Israel serious security guarantees".