Egypt seeks to stop escalation, Israeli attacks over Gaza Strip: Source

CAIRO – 10 August 2018: Egypt has been exerting a lot of efforts since yesterday in an attempt to stop the field escalations and Israeli attacks over the Gaza Strip, a reliable source said Thursday according to Sawa News Agency.

The source added that Egypt made a series of communications with several organizations and bodies to cease fire in the Gaza Strip and stop the situation from escalating.

Israeli warplanes on early Thursday struck a set of targets in the Gaza Strip and more than three Palestinians were reported killed; according to the Gaza Health Ministry, a pregnant woman, her one-year-old daughter and a Hamas militant were killed during the attacks.

The flare-up comes as Egypt is trying to broker a long-term cease-fire between the two sides.

Egypt, according to the source, is working with all of its force to preserve the lives of Palestinians and their dignity, pointing out that Egypt is trying to ease the situation between Palestine and Israel in order to prevent any escalations or actions that would drive the region to the brink of destruction.

Yesterday, a reliable source affirmed that Cairo is continuing its strenuous efforts with Palestinian officials in order to reach a number of understandings regarding the reconciliation process between Fatah and Hamas.

The efforts, according to the source, are aiming to stand on a united national Palestinian vision that provides a suitable and a decent life for Palestinians.

Moreover, the source stressed that coordination with the International Community to provide the necessary support for the establishment of development projects that would interest Palestinians and provide a safe environment that guarantees a continuous development in Palestine.

The source also added that Fatah's Executive Committee Member Azzam al-Ahmad has been in Cairo since Yesterday in order to conduct a number of positive talks with Egyptian officials regarding the mechanisms of the reconciliation process.

In Oct. 2017, the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have signed a preliminary reconciliation deal in Cairo in the presence of Egyptian intelligence officials, in the latest in a series of attempts to end a decade-long Palestinian territorial.

The source also pointed out that as an outcome to the understandings reached between Hamas and Fatah, Cairo will be witnessing a series of meetings between Egyptian, Fatah and Hamas officials in order to reach a national consensus regarding all the debatable issues for the sake of Palestinians.