Egypt urges "maximum restraint" from Israel

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned “the recent escalation in military operations in the Gaza Strip by Israel” in a Thursday evening statement, and urged “maximum restraint” regarding military operations, according to Daily Egypt News.

“Egypt stresses the legal responsibility of Israel as an occupying power to protect the lives of civilians and refrain from methods of collective punishment and the use of excessive and unjustified force,” read the ministry’s statement.

They also called for “all concerned parties” to immediately accept the Egyptian ceasefire initiative as the “only way to stop attacks”. It also called on the international community to accept the initiative “without delay or preconditions” to “prevent the continuation of the vicious circle of violence for which only the innocent Palestinian pay the price.”

Egypt also called on the international community to “shoulder its responsibilities” in confronting the “dangerous escalation."