Cairo (Antara/Xinhua-OANA) - Egypt is continuing its efforts to put an end to the "inhumane blockade" imposed by Israel on the Palestinian Gaza strip, Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
"Practical procedures made by Egypt to end the Gaza blockade will continue out of Egypt's historical and ethical responsibility towards its Palestinian brothers," the Foreign Ministry's statement said.
The statement said that Egypt is keen on keeping Rafah border crossing "constantly and exceptionally" open since the Israeli offensive started on Gaza to relieve the suffering of the Strip residents, noting that as many as 7,500 individuals and more than 1,200 tons of food and medicine have passed through the crossing from both sides.
The ongoing Israeli offensive on the restive Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has left more than 1,900 Palestinians killed and about 10, 000 wounded, while Hamas attacks killed 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians.
On Sunday, Egypt got approval of both the Palestinians and Israel for an extra 72-hour ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, according to official MENA news agency.
Egypt managed earlier to broker a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire between the two sides that expired on Friday and the country is currently calling on the two parties to commit to a new truce.(*)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Jawa Timur 2014
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Jawa Timur 2014