Arab League meeting today on Gaza; death toll now at 172

CAIRO: Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo later Monday to discuss Israel’s deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 172 Palestinians and wounded 1,230 in its seventh day. There have not been any Israeli fatalities. The Arab League meeting comes amid intense international efforts to end the conflict, and with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas seeking UN intervention. An Egyptian foreign ministry statement late on Sunday said Monday’s meeting, due to begin at 1900 GMT, “is aimed at finding a solution to stop the shedding of Palestinian civilians’ blood and to formulate a common Arab stance on the issue.” So far, efforts to broker a cease-fire have been unsuccessful, with Cairo taking a hands-off approach. Egypt had been key in mediating previous cease-fires, and brokered a truce between Israel and Hamas in November 2012. However, ties between Cairo and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, have worsened since Egypt’s military ousted president Muhammad Mursi last July. Mursi belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an affiliate. After removing Mursi, Egypt’s military-installed authorities designated the Brotherhood a “terrorist” organization. World leaders have been in contact with Egyptian officials, including President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, to discuss ways of ending the latest conflict.