U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Egypt's Foreign Minster Sameh Shukri, 22 June, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received Thursday a phone call from US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the current situation in the Gaza Strip, MENA state news agency reported.
Spokesman to the presidency Badr Abdel Ati said in a statement issued Thursday that Kerry underlines US support for an Egyptian initiative aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The initiative called for an immediate end to hostilities on both sides, to be followed with negotiations in Cairo between the Palestinian and Israeli sides as part of efforts to end violence that has killed over 200 Palestinians and one Israeli since the conflict began last week.
Abdel Ati also said that Egypt is in ongoing communications with all parties aiming for an immediate ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi Thursday, MENA said, amid concerted efforts to end the deadly conflict in Gaza.
In Washington, US President Barack Obama said the US supported Egypt's continued efforts to restore the 2012 ceasefire agreement and would use all its diplomatic resources and relationships to secure a deal to end the violence.
Israeli officials and Abbas announced Tuesday that they had accepted the Egyptian proposal. However, Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, called the proposed truce a "submission" and declared it would keep fighting until its demands were met.
Violence in the coastal strip began building up three weeks ago after three Jewish settlers were abducted in the occupied West Bank. They were killed and their bodies were found last week. A Palestinian teenager was later kidnapped and burned alive in Jerusalem.
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