Israel must de-escalate violence — Egypt

Egypt told Israel on Monday it needed to stop an escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, state TV quoted sources as saying.

The sources said Egypt told Israel of the need to commit to the de-escalation process, and also stepped up efforts with the Palestinians in that regard.

This came as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged all sides to exercise maximum restraint. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, said in a statement that the UN chief “urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint. The United Nations Special Coordinator, Nickolay Mladenov, is working closely with Egypt and all concerned parties to restore calm”.

Russia concerned

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Moscow was deeply concerned over the situation in the Gaza.

The escalation over the last 24 hours could provoke the resumption of a large-scale military confrontation, and threatens new civilian casualties on both sides and the final collapse of the humanitarian situation there, the ministry said in a statement posted on its official website.

“We call on the Palestinians and Israelis to return immediately to a stable ceasefire, to show restraint and to take measures to prevent the recurrence of confrontation with unpredictable consequences,” it said, adding that Egypt’s mediation efforts are positive.

Russia continues to support the idea that the key issue for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict settlement is a reunification of the Palestinian people, it said.