Egypt to hold talks over Gaza

Columns of smoke rise above Gaza City after an Israeli air strike.

Columns of smoke rise above Gaza City after an Israeli air strike.

Published Nov 17, 2012

Share

Cairo - Egypt's president will hold four-way talks with the Qatari emir, the prime minister of Turkey and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the Gaza crisis, a presidential source said.

Egypt has been working to reinstate a truce between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, after an informal truce brokered by Cairo broke down.

Israel launched a massive air campaign on Wednesday with the declared aim of deterring Hamas from launching cross-border rocket salvoes that have plagued southern Israel for years.

“Egypt's presidency will meet today with (exiled Hamas leader Khaled) Meshaal, Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the situation in Gaza,” the presidential source told Reuters.

He said it would be a meeting of all four leaders.

Erdogan, who arrived in Egypt earlier on Saturday, has been an outspoken critic of Israel, while Qatar's emir visited Gaza in October, breaking the isolation of the Palestinian group. - Reuters

Related Topics: