CAIRO
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Saturday that an Egyptian ceasefire proposal is the "only solution" for the crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Cairo, al-Sisi said the Egyptian initiative "allows lull to prevail, permits the entry of humanitarian aid and start negotiations".
"Wasting more time complicates the situation," he warned.
Renzi, for his part, reiterated support for the Egyptian initiative, saying that the proposal "is the only way-out of the crisis".
The Italian Premier also went on to call for the immediate release of an "abducted" Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip.
On July 14, Egypt proposed an initiative with an eye on suspending hostilities between Israel and resistance factions in the Gaza Strip.
The initiative, initially welcomed by Israel, was rejected by Palestinian factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who said that the plan's terms do not meet the conditions of the Palestinian resistance.
For the past four weeks, Israel has been pounded the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket fire, killing at least 1650 and injured nearly 9000 others.
Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets at Israeli cities in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks.
According to Israeli figures, at least 63 Israeli soldiers have been killed in battles with Palestinian fighters in Gaza and three civilians by rocket fire.
A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip collapsed on Friday after Israel accused Hamas of abducting a soldier in Rafah. The Palestinian movement, however, has denied any role in abducting the Israeli soldier.
By Islam Mosaad
www.aa.com.tr/en
