UN peace envoy, Mladenov, reacts to situation in Gaza

CAIRO – 9 August 2018: Palestinian diplomatic source told Egypt Today on Thursday that The United Nations envoy for Middle East peace, Nickolay Mladenov, is having intensive calls with the parts involved in the current Palestinian- Israeli conflict in Gaza, in an attempt to pacify the heated situation.

The Palestinian diplomat added that Mladenov is seeking to set a ceasefire between the armed Palestinian groups in Gaza and the Israeli army.

Gaza militants fired rockets into Israel and the Israeli military responded with air strikes on Wednesday despite talk from both sides of progress towards a possible truce to avert a fourth war in a decade.

A senior member of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza, said talks mediated by the United Nations and Egypt on a deal to tamp down tensions were in "advanced stages". The remarks were echoed by a top Israeli lawmaker, suggesting a possible breakthrough after four months of confrontations and clashes that stirred mutual threats of war.

Egyptian diplomatic efforts managed to realize a truce between Palestinian groups in Gaza and the Israeli army on July 13, after a heavy Israeli military aggression against citizens in Gaza.