While the Israeli army’s military operations against Gaza enter their third week, a diplomatic flurry is taking place in attempts to reach a cease-fire.

The most recent of these efforts was announced by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on July 22 during a speech in Ramallah, in which he announced his visit to Egypt and the holding of talks among Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Abbas also traveled to Turkey and Qatar, where he met with the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, in an attempt to reach a cease-fire.

Afterward, the PA held an urgent meeting in Ramallah on July 23 and issued a solidarity statement with Gaza, denouncing the “crimes” of the Israeli army, and affirming that efforts aiming to reach a cease-fire were ongoing.

A prominent official at the presidency headquarters in Ramallah told Al-Monitor, “Abbas suddenly ended his visit to Saudi Arabia and came back to Ramallah on July 22. In the past hours, he intensified calls with the region’s leaders to conclude a cease-fire in Gaza based on the Egyptian initiative, while adding some amendments with the consent of all parties.”