Ceasefire between Israel, Hamas may be within reach – Egypt, Jordan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas might be within reach.

“Egypt is going to great lengths to reach a ceasefire between the Israelis and Palestinians – and hope still exists that a collective action could end the conflict,” he said in an interview to the Al Arabiya news outlet.

“It is increasingly important to clam the spirits and end the violence and the killing,” the Egyptian president added.

Over the weekend Israeli and Arab media reported that Egypt had worked to negotiate a 12-hour ceasefire between the parties. Israel had objected to the deal’s terms.

According to  Al Arabiyam Egypt was preparing to send two security delegations to Tel Aviv and to Gaza, in another attempt to promote calm between Israel and Hamas.

Al-Sisi’s comments echoed those of Jordan’s King Abdullah, who said on Sunday that his kingdom was involved in intensive diplomacy to halt what he characterized as Israeli military escalation in the worst Israeli-Palestinian violence in years.