CAIRO, April 8. /TASS/. On Friday, Cairo brought about an understanding between the Israeli and Palestinian sides of the need to end the armed confrontation, the Al Arabiya TV channel reported.
According to the TV channel, Egypt "has achieved an understanding of the parties [of the need for] a truce." As Al-Arabiya reported, the Egyptian delegation is ready to go to Israel "to work out a format for a truce and conduct in-depth negotiations [on this issue]."
According to the TV channel, the Israeli side informed Cairo that "a truce [with the Palestinians] depends on the cessation of missile launches (from the territory of the Gaza Strip) and [terrorist] attacks."
Earlier it was reported that Egypt is holding intensive consultations with Israel, the United States and Palestinian groups to de-escalate tensions that arose on Friday night around the Gaza Strip. According to Al-Arabiya, the Egyptian authorities "are conducting extensive negotiations with the Israeli side, the United States and certain Palestinian factions in order to restore calm as soon as possible."
Prior to this, Cairo demanded that Israel not strike at residential areas and civilians in the Gaza Strip. According to the TV channel, the Egyptian security forces contacted the Israeli side after the Israeli air force attack on the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli side, in turn, told Egypt that the escalation of the current conflict depends on the actions of Palestinian groups.
Previously, Egypt has repeatedly acted as a mediator in resolving acute situations around Gaza, when the parties to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict switched to direct armed confrontation. Until now, Egypt, which has diplomatic relations with Israel and maintains contacts with groups operating in the sector bordering Egypt, has been able to lead the parties to compromise solutions, at least temporarily. The main intermediary role has always remained with the employees of the Egyptian foreign intelligence.
The WAFA Palestinian News Agency reported on Tuesday that Israeli law enforcement officers had broken into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and used flash bang grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets and batons. According to the Lebanese Al Mayadeen television channel, more than 400 people were detained. The Israeli police said on Wednesday that dozens of young men in masks had barricaded themselves in the Temple complex, chanting slogans and calling for riots. The police had to intervene.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that at least 34 rockets had been fired at the Israeli territory from Lebanon. Twenty-five rockets were intercepted by the Israeli air defense system. Later, it was reported that the area around the city of Metula in northern Israel had come under mortar shelling from the Lebanese territory. In response, the Israeli military shelled territories in southern Lebanon, Al Mayadeen reported. According to Israel’s Kan radio station, three HAMAS facilities were attacked in southern Lebanon and more than ten HAMAS facilities were targeted in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Friday.