Senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, stated that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has asked Cairo to fix a ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel and advised the Palestinian factions to cooperate. " I have requested this during talks with the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmad Abuelgheit and the chief of Egyptian intelligence, Omar Suleiman", Eriqat told a press conference following a visit to Cairo. The Palestinian official also said that Egypt has been exerting a major role in protecting the Palestinian people and that the Palestinian Authority has asked all Palestinian factions to cooperate. Eriqat believed that there will be a catastrophe if the Israeli army carries out a large-scale offensive on the Gaza Strip, maintaining that ' messing up with the national security of Egypt is unaccepted. Eriqat's concern over ceasefire with Israel came after the ruling Hamas party in Gaza has recently warned of exploding the situation due to continued Israeli actions on Gaza including the siege. Cairo has consequently warned Hamas against any breach of its border lines with Gaza by Palestinian crowds, the way such crowds did in January23, one week after Israel tightened the siege of Gaza.
