President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed the situation in Gaza with UN secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday. They agreed in a phone call that all military measures should be halted in order to stop the escalation in Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency. They also agreed to work to prevent the situation from escalating and causing more loss life, the statement added. On Tuesday Israel launched an operation against Gaza in retaliation for the abduction and murder of the three Jewish teens in the occupied West Bank. That was followed by the abduction and murder of a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem. Both El-Sisi and Ban Ki-Moon agreed to encourage Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a truce and adopt the necessary measures for helping the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. Egypt is currently holding talks with both parties in order to prevent a further escalation of Israeli military operations, the statement added. On Thursday, Egypt opened the Rafah border with Gaza to receive the Palestinian injured in North Sinai hospitals. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/105898.aspx