BICOM

After several days of violence in the south of Israel and Gaza, US and UN envoys have begun work to restore calm to the region. Reuters reported that US Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening to meet with Egyptian officials. Feltman was dispatched by the administration in Washington to try to ease the tension in relations between Israel and Egypt.

Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, visited Egypt on Sunday and held talks with government officials, including Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, Intelligence Chief Murad Muwafi and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby. According to a UN press release, ‘The special coordinator conveyed to the government of Egypt his deep concern over the death of Egyptian security personnel,’ adding that Serry was worried about ‘the continuing tensions, in particular the escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel.’