Paris Plans To Coordinate De-Escalation Efforts In Gaza Strip With Cairo

France welcomes Egypt's efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and intends to join these efforts, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2021) France welcomes Egypt's efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and intends to join these efforts, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly proposed to Israel to mediate its conflict with Palestinians in a bid to defuse the ongoing tensions, but received no response. Cairo has also been in contact with international and regional actors on the matter, according to the ministry.

"I will have a conversation with my Egyptian counterpart in a few hours to coordinate our actions with Egypt's efforts to work towards a ceasefire in Gaza, which I welcome," Le Drian told lawmakers.

The unrest in East Jerusalem has been ongoing for several days over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with the Israeli forces this month, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Israel has also reported injuries among its law enforcement officers.

At the start of this week, a major escalation began at the Gaza border with more than 1,000 rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since Monday, according to the Israeli army. In response, Israel launched strikes against Gaza.

At least 56 Palestinians were killed and over 300 were injured in Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian authorities. Israel reported seven fatalities and more than 200 injured as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.