Egypt's president reaffirms endeavors to reach ceasefire in Gaza

CAIRO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has been making sincere efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to protect and rescue innocent civilians, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Friday.

In televised remarks broadcast on the state-run Nile TV, Sisi said at the country's Police Academy that "we are striving to halt the bloodshed in Gaza to boost aid deliveries to the enclave and allow displaced people in its south to move back north."

"We wish within a few days at most to reach a ceasefire and not to have a negative development that could affect the situation," he said, adding Egypt has been endeavoring to facilitate the delivery of the maximum amount of aid possible to Gaza.

The Egyptian president also warned against the danger of an Israeli incursion into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, while underscoring "We aim to create a real opportunity for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with international recognition."

Adjacent to the besieged Palestinian enclave, Egypt has been a major aid supplier to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing during the ongoing Israeli attacks. The aid is donated by Egypt and other countries as well as local and international organizations.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, tried to mediate between Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began this week, but their efforts fell short.