CAIRO: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on Israel to stop its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, saying it would cause more bloodshed and complicate efforts to end the conflict, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported on Friday.
Abbas' remarks came hours after Israel launched a ground operation aimed at hitting the Palestinian Hamas.
"Isarel must stop its ground operation in the Gaza Strip," MENA quoted Abbas as saying as he addressed a group of Egyptian intellectuals and journalists in Cairo.
"This operation would only lead to more bloodshed and complicate the situation and efforts to stop the (Israeli) aggression."
On Thursday, Abbas met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi amid intense diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Israel and Palestinian group, Hamas, which entered its 11th day on Friday.
Egypt's foreign ministry too denounced Israel's ground operation and demanded that both sides accept a Cairo proposed truce "immediately and unconditionally."
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, however, lashed out at Hamas, saying it could have saved dozens of lives had it accepted Cairo's ceasefire proposal presented earlier this week.
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