CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday urged Israel to abandon its plan to take control of 70 percent of Gaza, as he attended the G7 summit in France.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to take control of more territory in the battered Gaza Strip, flouting the terms of a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October.
He said Israeli forces initially controlled about 50 percent of the enclave under the truce before advancing to around 60 percent and then directing a move toward 70 percent.
Under the ceasefire, Israeli forces were meant to pull back behind a so-called “yellow line,” separating areas controlled by Palestinian militant group Hamas from those held by the Israeli army.
“Only 30 percent of the Strip is effectively left for the Palestinian people,” El-Sisi said, at a G7 summit session on Middle East stability in the French resort of Evian.
