Ceasefire efforts between Palestinian factions, Israel stalled: Egyptian Minister

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza have stalled, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Thursday.

“The Munich meeting represented an opportunity to review the efforts made to calm the military and field tension in the Palestinian Territories,” Shoukry said during his participation in the Munich formula on the peace process.

He stressed that "the Egyptian efforts continued to broker a ceasefire deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”

“Our efforts still have not yielded the desired results," the minister said without providing further details.

Shoukry called on “the international community to intervene to stop the unilateral Israeli measures aimed at eliminating the two-state solution."

On Wednesday, a Palestinian source said that Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza have stalled.

At least 25 Palestinians were killed and 76 others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. Three leaders of Islamic Jihad group, their wives and children were among those killed in the attacks.

The Israeli army said its airstrikes on Gaza were part of its Operation Shield and Arrow in response to rocket fire from Gaza following the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison last week.

Palestinian factions in Gaza retaliated against the attacks by firing volleys of rockets into Israel.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of this year. Nineteen Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi