Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Condemns Israeli Attack On Gaza’s Al-Shejaiya District

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the escalation of Israeli military operations in Gaza and its attack on Al-Shejaiya district.

“Egypt as people and government are standing with the Palestinian people,” said a statement issued by the foreign ministry early Sunday.

Not less than 40 were killed and hundreds of Palestinians injured during hours of bombardment of Al-Shejaiya district in Gaza overnight.

The official spokesperson of the foreign ministry, Ambassador Badr Abdel-atty, stated early Sunday that the minister of foreign affairs spoke by phone with Omani Foreign Minister Youssef Bin Alawi, Bahraini Foreign Minister Hamed El-Khalifa, leading member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Saeb Erekat, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Abdel-atty said that the talks focused on developments in Gaza and the Egyptian ceasefire initiative tabled last week and rejected by Hamas and the majority of Palestinian factions. Egypt officially invited Hamas leader Khaled Meshal to Cairo to discuss the Egyptian initiative. Meshal turned down the invitation.

The death toll in Gaza has increased to 383 after more than 10 days of Israeli bombing ahead of a ground invasion that started Thursday.

Source : Ahram online