CAIRO, May 19. /TASS/. The Hamas movement that controls the Gaza Strip denies reports about its presumed readiness for ceasefire with Israel, the Dunya Al Watan news portal said, citing Izzat al-Rishq, a Hamas political bureau member.
"No agreement has been reached. There have been no exact timeframe for the ceasefire as well," he said. "Mediator efforts and contacts continue without cease."
An official source in Cairo told TASS on Tuesday that Egypt had put forward a proposal for Israelis and Palestinians to cease fire starting from 06:00 local time on Thursday, May 20. "Cairo has put forward a proposal to cease fire from 06:00 local time (coincides with Moscow time) on Thursday, May 20, in coordination with the US administration," the source said. "We are waiting for the Palestinian factions and the government of Israel to respond, and expect military operations to be stopped at the end of this week."
According to the official, an Egyptian delegation on security matters was to depart to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli colleagues. Contacts with the Palestinian side are maintained as well, but no visit to Gaza has been scheduled so far due to ongoing air strikes.
According to Al Arabiya, the United States and the European Union, as well as Palestinian factions, support Egypt’s ceasefire initiative. Israel, however, has not yet responded to the proposal.
The TV channel reported that an Israeli delegation has been invited to Cairo for consultations on the ceasefire initiative.
Israel and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip have been exchanging missile strikes since May 10, following an outburst of unrest near the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City in early May. Clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police were triggered by an Israeli court ruling to seize dwelling houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from Arab families who have been living there for more than 50 years in favor of Jewish resettlers who had reportedly owned these buildings before 1948.
According to the latest reports, at least 12 Israelis have been killed and hundreds have been injured. The Palestinian side reported 237 deaths, including 217 in the Gaza Strip, and more than 6,000 wounded (in the Gaza Strip and West Bank).