Sisi warns of ‘vicious cycle’ of violence

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned of a “vicious cycle” of violence amid the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday.

Israel responded to the deadly attack with devastating air strikes on the Gaza strip, killing and injuring thousands.

Sisi received a call on Saturday from French President Emmanuel Macron, according to Egypt’s presidency said.

During which they discussed “coordinating efforts to stop the escalation in the Gaza Strip between the Palestinian and Israeli sides”.

Egypt has always been a key mediator in wars and conflicts between Israel and Palestine.

The presidential spokesman said al-Sisi “warned against the danger of the situation deteriorating and sliding into more violence, the worsening of humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the region entering into a vicious cycle of tensions that threatens regional stability and security”.

The president has been following the developments from Strategic Crisis Management Centre throughout the day.

The Egyptian foreign ministry appealed to “both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to exercise the highest degrees of restraint.”

According to the ministry’s page on Facebook, the minister Sameh Shoukry made a number of calls to his counterparts in the United States, Russia, Türkiye, Germany, France and Spain. The calls aimed to rally “international actors” to “intervene immediately”.

During his call with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, they discussed “the international and regional efforts that must be undertaken to contain the situation and put an end to the violence and the loss of life”.

Shoukry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov talked about “the need for an immediate stop to the escalations” before an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Sunday.

Shoukry stressed that the Security Council should “uphold its responsibility” and “put measures in place to protect Palestinian rights.”