UNITED NATIONS, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - With the most recent ceasefire in Gaza having expired, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about “the crisis in Gaza, including the need for the parties to return to the ceasefire negotiations under Egyptian auspices,” according to the United Nations.
Ban Ki-moon urged Netanyahu “to return to calm and encouraged him to take steps to facilitate the Egyptian efforts.”
The United Nations said Ban Ki-moon “stressed the importance for the parties to establish a durable ceasefire with a view to a resumption of meaningful negotiations on a two-state solution.”
Ban Ki-moon concluded by reiterating that the “United Nations stands ready to support any agreement the parties may reach.”
Earlier in the day, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on Israel and Hamas to restart indirect talks and negotiate an open-ended ceasefire.
More than 2,000 Palestinians and 68 people on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers, have been killed since in hostilities since July 8. According to UN data, 70 percent of the Palestinian casualties were civilians.
