Egyptian mediators to broker peace

A Palestinian woman walks past a destroyed building in the al-Rimal commercial district in Gaza City. Pic/AFP

An Egyptian diplomat says two teams of Egyptian mediators are in Israel and the Palestinian territories to continue talks on firming up a ceasefire deal, and securing a long-term calm.

The diplomat said on Saturday that discussions include implementing agreed-on measures in Gaza and Jerusalem, including ways to prevent practices that led to the latest fighting.

The ceasefire took effect on Friday. The 11-day war left more than 250 dead - the vast majority Palestinians - and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The diplomat also said Israel has given a green light to Gaza fishermen to return to sea Saturday as part of the ceasefire deal.

Hussein Sheikh, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, tweeted that one of the Egyptian delegation planned to hold talks with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah. Financial losses from the fighting are pegged to be $150 million.

‘Two-state solution is only answer'

US President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to help organise efforts to rebuild Gaza and said creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the "only answer" to the conflict. Biden also said he had told the Israelis to stop "intercommunal fighting" in the flashpoint city of Jerusalem. However, he stressed "there is no shift in my commitment to the security of Israel" and added that until the region "unequivocally" acknowledges Israel's existence "there will be no peace."

250
Number of people killed in the recent clashes

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