2nd lead
A 72-hour ceasefire was agreed between Hamas and Israel followed by talks in Cairo was agreed Monday, reports Reuters.The agreement, which was facilitated by Egypt, was accepted by both sides after representatives met with Egyptian officials in Cairo to formulate a plan to end the violence.
Officials in Gaza say that 1,834 mostly civilian Palestinians have been killed, whilst Israel says that it has lost 64 soldiers in combat and 3 civilians.
The agreement comes after Israel on early Monday withdraw most of its ground troops from Gaza after destroying a vast network of Hamas tunnels.
FCO investigates reports of British national death in Gaza
The British Foreign Office is urgently trying to investigate claims that a British national working as an aid worker as died in Gaza, reports The Independent.
The British Premier, David Cameron, speaking on reports of a British National death, said,
“I’m extremely concerned about these reports and we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of them and find out exactly what has happened.”
France condemns 'massacre' in Gaza, calls for world to 'impose' political solution
France, in a damning statement condemned Israel’s ‘massacre’ in Gaza, whilst urging the international community to impose a political solution between Palestine and Israel, reports the Independent.
The French Foreign Minister, in a statement on the ongoing conflict, according to the Jerusalem Post, said,
“This is why we need a political solution, of which the components are known, and which I believe should be imposed by the international community, because the two parties - despite countless efforts - have unfortunately shown themselves incapable of completing talks.”
"How many more deaths must there be to stop what must be called the carnage in Gaza? The tradition of friendship between France and Israel is old and Israel's right to security is total, but this right does not justify the killing of children and the massacre of civilians," Laurent Fabius added.
The comments came as a seven hour humanitarian truce ended between Hamas and Israel.
The British Foreign Secretary, Sunday, commenting on British public opinion, called the rising death toll in Gaza ‘intolerable.'
“The British public has a strong sense that the situation in Gaza is simply intolerable and must be addressed – and we agree with them. There must be a humanitarian ceasefire that is without conditions. We have to get the killing to stop,” said Philip Hammond.