(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The UK government has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinians, urging both sides to return to the November 2012 deal.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has called for a ceasefire in Gaza as the death toll in the latest conflict between Israel and Palestinians continued to climb.
The call was made by the UK secretary in a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
He said: "I stressed the need for an immediate de-escalation and restoration of the November 2012 ceasefire, our deep concern about the number of civilian casualties and the need for all sides to avoid further civilian injuries and the loss of innocent life." "I told Minister Lieberman that continuing rocket attacks from Gaza are completely unacceptable. Israel has a right to defend itself against such attacks, but the whole world wanted to see de-escalation," he said.
"I welcomed President Abbas's call for a ceasefire agreed by both sides, and urged him to do all he could to help bring this about. I offered my condolences for the loss of civilian lives in Gaza," he added.
Hague said he will discuss the latest conflict with US Secretary of State John Kerry, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Germany's Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Vienna tomorrow.
In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for an end to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip and for sending immediate humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
He condemned in a statement Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, saying that the Israeli aggressions on Gaza have made the situation so worrying that regional and international security and peace are now in jeopardy.
The Iranian president voiced much concern over the current humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the Israeli strikes at the Palestinian territory, blasting the UN Security Council for failing to take some action against Israel.
In Algiers, scores of Algerians organized a rally in the capital on Saturday to show support and solidarity with the Palestinian people as the Israel has been striking at the Gaza Strip.
At the rally, called by Algerian civil society organizations, the protesters called on Algerian authorities to take a decisive stance against the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian enclave.
Officially, Algeria has called on the international community to act urgently to stop the severe escalation of violence in Palestine and strongly condemned the barbaric aggressions against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and in all the occupied territories.
Algeria considers that "these fierce aggressions would have never reached such extent of intimidation of Palestinians and restriction of freedoms without the guilty silence of the international community, which encourages the occupation forces to continue their arbitrary, expansionist and criminal policy," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Ambassador in Cairo Jamal Al-Shubki said the planned meeting of Arab foreign ministers here on Monday will only discuss the current Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
During the meeting, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki will brief the ministers on the latest developments in Gaza, including Israeli air strikes and the humanitarian situation of Gazans, he said in a release.
The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinian deaths continue to mount.
All 15 members approved a statement calling for de-escalation, the "restoration of calm" and a resumption of peace talks.
At least 133 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its operation five days ago, Palestinian sources say.
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