Egypt has intensified its efforts over the last hours to halt the Israeli escalation, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, while Palestinian sources have hinted at a possible calm.

The Ministry reported that the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs had forgiven Shoukry in contact with his Israeli counterpart, Gaby Ashkenazi, on Wednesday evening, during which he stressed "the need to stop Israeli aggression against Palestinian territory and the importance of working to spare the peoples of the region further escalation and resort to military means."

My thanks go to "Egypt's desire to stabilize the region on the basis of the settlement of issues through diplomatic means and through negotiations."

In another statement, the Ministry announced that my thanks on Wednesday afternoon had been received from the Foreign Minister of Germany, Heiko Maas, and the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Burrell, during which he addressed the deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories as a result of the confrontations in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

I would also like to express my thanks for the urgent measures and contacts that will put an end to the confrontation and aggression against civilians and to safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed that "what is taking place stresses the need to resume peace efforts with a real horizon for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the lines of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to end the conflict through a just and lasting solution that will stabilize the situation in the Palestinian territories and contribute to the stability of the region."

According to the Ministry, my thanks "intensify in the coming hours contacts with his counterparts in the concerned and influential States in the Middle East to end the current crisis and to work towards the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is a central conflict that is one of the most important factors of instability in the region."

On the other hand, well-informed Palestinian sources have revealed that "a serious debate is under way to reach a calm at midnight (Wednesday night), with Egyptian, American and international efforts" aimed at halting the Israeli escalation.

Earlier on Wednesday, an Egyptian security delegation visited the Gaza Strip for consultations with the leaders of the Frisian factions on a calm-down agreement and a mutual ceasefire with the Israeli side.