(Cairo) Egypt and France discussed on Saturday the coordination of efforts to “end the escalation” in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas launched an offensive against Israel which responded with strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed, during a telephone interview, the “coordination of efforts to end the escalation in the Gaza Strip between the Palestinian parties and Israeli,” indicated the Egyptian presidency.
PHOTO MICHEL EULER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
French President Emmanuel Macron
Mr. Sissi “warned of the danger of seeing the situation deteriorate and descend into violence, of witnessing a worsening of humanitarian conditions in Gaza and of seeing the region enter a vicious circle of tensions threatening stability and regional security,” according to his spokesperson.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had called earlier on Saturday “both the Palestinians and the Israelis to show the utmost restraint” and warned of “the serious danger of the ongoing escalation”, in an attempt to rally the “actors international organizations” to “immediate intervention”.
PHOTO ARCHIVES REUTERS
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss “the international and regional efforts that must be undertaken to contain the situation and end the violence and loss of human lives.”
Mr. Shoukry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, for their part, stressed “the need for an immediate end to the escalation” before an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday, according to a press release from Cairo.
” Worry “
Earlier in the day, during a telephone exchange, Mr. Shoukry and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi “expressed their deep concern at the progressive and dangerous deterioration of events”.
Mr. Safadi warned in a separate statement of the “volatility” of the situation, “particularly in light of Israeli attacks and violations against the Palestinian people.”
Cairo is a traditional mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Jordan and Egypt were the first two countries in the region to conclude peace agreements with Israel, before the country experienced a wave of diplomatic normalization in recent years, notably with the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
On Saturday, Mr. Shoukry also discussed with the Emirati Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “the seriousness of the current situation and the need to do everything possible to prevent the security situation from spiraling out of control. “.
Egypt also called on the international community to “urge Israel to end attacks and provocative actions against the Palestinian people and to adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law regarding the responsibilities of an occupying state.”
The Hamas attack follows months of escalating violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.