Turkey, Egypt call for immediate ceasefire of war in Gaza
Turkey and Egypt call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as well as unimpeded humanitarian aid deliveries to its residents, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in Cairo at a joint news conference with visiting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
"At our talks with the Turkish president, we reaffirmed the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the unimpeded delivery of necessary humanitarian aid to the enclave’s inhabitants," said the Egyptian president, as aired by the al-Qahera al-Ekhbariya television channel.
Meanwhile, Erdogan said that Turkey and Egypt could start working on rebuilding Gaza as soon as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved.
"The Gaza situation dominated our talks. We prioritize an urgent ceasefire and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza...we will continue cooperation with our Egyptian brothers to put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza. Alongside Egypt, we are ready to participate in Gaza’s reconstruction," Erdogan said, aired by the TRT Haber television channel.
Hamas has said it will not back down from its demands for a permanent cease-fire and full withdrawal of Israeli troops, both of which Israel has rejected. Israel says it will continue military operations until Hamas is defeated and that it will retain a security presence in Gaza afterwards.
In a statement Friday, Hamas said it is open to any “ideas or suggestions” that take into consideration the needs of the Palestinian people such as an end to Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced people to their homes and an Israeli withdrawal.
Egypt intervention
Both Israeli and Egyptian officials confirmed the Egyptian delegation had arrived in Tel Aviv. Later, the Egyptian official said meetings had concluded and that there was an agreement to work out a draft deal, but he did not elaborate.
Overnight, Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group fired anti-tank missiles and artillery shells at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed border area, killing an Israeli civilian.
Hezbollah said its fighters ambushed the convoy shortly before midnight Thursday, destroying two vehicles. The Israeli military said the ambush wounded an Israeli civilian doing infrastructure work, and that he later died of his wounds.
Low-intensity fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has repeatedly threatened to boil over as Israel has targeted senior Hezbollah militants in recent months.
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