Egypt working to calm Gaza tensions, has ‘opened channels’ with US and EU

Egyptian officials say Cairo is attempting to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in Gaza amid the worst bout of fighting there in recent months.

The officials say Egypt’s general intelligence agency has stepped up communications and has “opened channels” with the US and the European Union. The officials speak on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.

Egypt often acts as a mediator between Israel and Gaza terrorists, and brokered a cease-fire deal in May.

That deal appeared threatened after a pre-dawn Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander.

Terrorists in Gaza have responded with rockets fired into Israel, and the Israeli military has carried out a number of airstrikes in Gaza.

— Agencies