US, UN back Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt

United States Secretary of State John Kerry and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced support for the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in talks in Cairo.

Kerry arrived in Cairo on Monday night and held a meeting with Ban, who made a stop in Cairo as part of his regional tour to find a peace agreement with regards to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

In a joint press conference, Kerry said the talks were held to discuss ways to “encourage the parties to embrace a ceasefire under the right circumstances”.

“We are both here in support of and in an effort to help get implemented the Egyptian initiative for the ceasefire. Israel and Egypt have encouraged that,” Kerry said, adding: “Hamas now has a decision. Only Hamas is out there awaiting the decision, and we hope they will make the right decision.”

Last week, the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire was met with rejection from Hamas, the governing body of the Gaza Strip.