Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Amr issued a statement on Wednesday evening in Cairo, condemning the Israeli air strikes in Gaza and demanding the strikes to end immediately.

In the first official Egyptian reaction to the assassination of Hamas military leader Ahmed al-Jaabari, Amr said the Israeli military escalation in Gaza occurs "at a very critical time in the Middle East."

The Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs warned Israel of the negative impact on the stability of the Middle East if the Israeli air strikes do not stop.