Egypt's Leaders, Cairo Protesters Condemn Israel's Gaza Response
Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil visited the Gaza Strip to declare support for Hamas and the Palestinian people while thousands of Cairo protesters marched out of Al-Azhar Mosque after Friday prayer to demonstrate against the Israeli strikes with calls to “liberate Gaza.”
CAIRO — Egypt’s Prime Minister, Hisham Qandil, arrived at the Gaza Strip on Friday morning through the Rafah Crossing Terminal despite hours of Israeli overnight shelling of the border areas. Qandil’s visit took place one day after President Mohammed Morsi withdrew Egypt’s ambassador to Tel Aviv while Israel’s diplomatic mission to Cairo flew out.
“The revolutionary Egypt will not hesitate to put forth the needed efforts to end the aggression and reach a truce between both sides,” said Prime Minister Hisham Qandil during a joint news conference with Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
“I come to Gaza to represent Egypt’s first elected president and to confirm the government, people and leadership’s support to the Palestinian people until they receive their freedom and end the occupation,” said Qandil.
Photos taken of Qandil kissing the dead body of a child killed by Israeli strikes on Friday morning virally spread over social media websites; the corpse arrived during his visit to Gaza’s main hospital. Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh described the visit by Egypt’s prime minister as “historic.”
