Israel 'must stop' Gaza ground operation: Abbas

He said that continued operations would cause more bloodshed and complicate efforts to end the conflict

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on Israel to stop its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, saying it would cause more bloodshed and complicate efforts to end the conflict, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported today.

Abbas' remarks came hours after Israel launched a ground operation aimed at hitting the Palestinian militant Hamas group, and as the death toll in Gaza hit 248 early today.

"Israel must stop its ground operation in the Gaza Strip," MENA quoted Abbas as saying as he addressed a group of Egyptian intellectuals and journalists in Cairo.

"This operation would only lead to more bloodshed and complicate the situation and efforts to stop the (Israeli) aggression."

Abbas met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday, amidst intense diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which entered its 11th day today.

Egypt's foreign ministry too denounced Israel's ground operation and demanded that both sides accept a Cairo proposed truce "immediately and unconditionally."

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, however, lashed out at Hamas, saying it could have saved dozens of lives had it accepted Cairo's ceasefire proposal presented earlier this week.

Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza, had rejected the ceasefire intended to start on Tuesday and continued firing rockets at Israeli cities.

Hamas has laid out a set of conditions, among them the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the release of Palestinian prisoners Israel has rearrested after freeing them in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

Abbas met in Cairo on Wednesday with Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuq, who insisted on changes to the Egyptian truce plan including guarantees on opening border crossings to Gaza.

The initiative called for a return to an Egyptian-brokered 2012 ceasefire that ended eight days of fighting, and loosened border restrictions on goods for the blockaded coastal enclave.