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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday said that talks are underway with several parties to reach a "formula" for its proposal on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that would be acceptable by Israel and the Palestinian resistance factions.
"The Egyptian proposal is still on the table as a suitable frame for a Gaza ceasefire," Shoukry told a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi in Cairo.
"We talked about a formula that would be accepted by all sides, but we still need to exert more efforts," he added without giving further details.
The four officials have called for a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire in the embattled Gaza Strip that would cover the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Kerry said the basic structure of the humanitarian truce is being built on an Egyptian initiative.
"At this moment, we are working towards a brief seven days of peace, seven days of humanitarian ceasefire in honor of Eid [al-Fitr] in order to be able to bring people together to try to work to create a more durable, sustainable ceasefire for the long-run," Kerry said.
The top U.S. diplomat said he will head to Paris on Saturday for talks with other players to as an attempt to bridge the gap between the parties to the conflict. However, he did not specify who he would meet in the French capital.
"Tomorrow, I will be in Paris where I will meet with some of my counterparts and I would also meet with other players who are important to this discussions in an effort to be able to try to see if we can narrow the gap," he said.
The U.N. chief, for his part, called for an extendable humanitarian 12-hour pause to mark the beginning of the seven-day ceasefire.
"The people of Gaza have bled enough. They are trapped and besieged in a tiny densely-populated land, every bit of which is a civilian area," Ban told the conference. He also said that the Israeli people have been "living under the constant fear of Hamas rocket attacks."
"Stop the fighting. We call for a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire extending over the Eid period, and beginning with an extendable 12-hour pause," he added. "Start talking, there is no military solution to address the grievances and all parties must find a way to dialogue."
Cairo unveiled its ceasefire initiative last week amid a fierce Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has continued unabated since July 7.
Cairo's ceasefire proposal, initially accepted by Israel, was rejected by Gaza-based resistance factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which said they had never been consulted about the terms of the plan.
Israel's onslaught has left at least 865 Palestinians dead – mostly civilians – and over 5730 injured, according to official figures.
Over the same period, 35 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fierce clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters.
Since hostilities began almost three weeks ago, only three Israeli civilians have reportedly been killed by rocket fire from Gaza.
Israel's "Operation Protective Edge" is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip, which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians, within the last six years.
In 2008/09, over 1500 Palestinians – the vast majority of them civilians – were killed in Israel's three-week-long "Operation Cast Lead."
By Hagar al-Dosoki
englishnews@aa.com.
www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire
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