CAIRO, Oct 9 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordanian King, Abdullah II, yesterday discussed efforts to halt the ongoing deadly Palestinian-Israeli escalation over phone talks, said the Egyptian Presidency in a statement.
The talks came a day after a massive deadly conflict erupted between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the Gaza Strip, that left heavy casualties on both sides.
The two leaders “stressed the priority of coordinating regional and international efforts towards ending the escalation and violence, exercising self-restraint, sparing blood and preventing a further exacerbation of the situation,” according to the statement.
“The two leaders agreed to continue and intensify consultations and coordination between Egypt and Jordan to boost efforts towards achieving calm,” said the statement.
Cairo and Amman seek to achieve a comprehensive and just settlement for the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution and in a way that ensures regional peace and stability, it added.
Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
Earlier yesterday, an Egyptian policeman opened fire randomly in the northern city of Alexandria, killing two Israeli tourists and an Egyptian, according to Egypt’s AlQahera News TV channel that cited a security source.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which controls Gaza, showered Israel with thousands of rockets in a rare surprise attack that was responded with massive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and punitive measures, including power outages.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry’s latest update yesterday said, death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 370, with 2,200 others injured, while Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported the death toll in Israel has reached 600.– NNN-MENA
