U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Monday to meet with a host of officials on means of bringing about calm in the Gaza Strip.
Kerry is expected to meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday, his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi to discuss means of bringing about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a diplomatic source said.
He added that discussions between the U.S. top diplomat and the aforementioned officials are also expected to dwell on other regional issues, such as Iraq and Syria.
Kerry is also expected to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who is on a visit to the Egyptian capital now.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day on Monday that the U.S. as well as other international partners view with concern the current escalation and the loss of life in the Gaza Strip.
The Foreign Ministry called for bringing about a ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible.
Since July 7, at least 573 Palestinians have been killed – mostly civilians – and more than 3400 injured in unrelenting Israeli attacks on the besieged coastal enclave.
Sunday was the deadliest day yet of Israel's two-week-long onslaught, with at least 110 Palestinians – including 72 in Shujaya, a residential area of eastern Gaza City – killed by Israeli air and artillery attacks.
Israel's military operation, dubbed "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.
By Mahmoud al-Husseini
englishnews@aa.com.tr
