German FM en route to Cairo; Morsi: Conflict to end Tuesday
Ceasefire negotiations go into high gear as Westerwelle called to Egypt. Egyptian president says 'Israeli aggression' against Gaza to end later on Tuesday
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has left Israel en route to Cairo where he will hold meetings with the Egyptian mediators following meetings he held with Israeli officials.
It is estimated that Israel asked Westerwelle to intervene in order to introduce amendments to the ceasefire agreement draft.
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Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said on Tuesday that "Israeli aggression" against Gaza would end later in the day, the Egyptian state news agency MENA reported.
"President Mohamed Morsi announced that the farce of Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip will end on Tuesday," MENA said, quoting public remarks made by the country's head of state after the funeral of his sister.
"The efforts to conclude a truce between the Palestinian and Israeli sides will produce positive results in the next few hours," he was quoted as saying.Egypt has been trying to mediate a truce to end the conflict.
Morsi was speaking in Zagazig, a town north of Cairo in the Nile Delta. The MENA story did not provide a direct quote.
Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil told Reuters on Monday a ceasefire could be close.
Israel launched an air campaign on Wednesday with the declared goal of deterring Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, from firing rockets at its southern communities.
Reuters contributed to this report
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