CAIRO
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Thursday that Hamas must agree to a ceasefire with Israel "without preconditions."
Speaking at a press conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Hammond urged Israel to exercise self-restraint, going on to condemn all violence committed against civilians.
The latest round of hostilities began when Hamas fired rockets at Israeli towns, Hammond asserted, stressing that London supported Israel's right to respond.
The West, however, has been shocked by the massive civilian death toll in Gaza, he added, noting that an Egyptian ceasefire proposal was still on the table.
Shoukry, for his part, urged London to work on convincing all sides of the conflict to accept Egypt's ceasefire initiative.
Cairo unveiled its ceasefire proposal last week amid a fierce Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which continued unabated on Thursday.
Israel's offensive has left at least 771 Palestinians dead – mostly civilians – since it began on July 7 with the stated aim of staunching Palestinian rocket fire.
Over the same period, at least 34 Israelis – 32 soldiers and two civilians – have also been killed.
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 ongoing "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 2008/9, over 1500 Gazans – the vast majority of them civilians – were killed in Israel's three-week-long "Operation Cast Lead."
By Hazem Badr
englishnews@aa.com.tr
