Sunday's visit is the first by an Israeli foreign minister to Egypt for over a decade. Top of the agenda is the fragile cease-fire as well as plans to rebuild the bombed Palestinian enclave.
Palestinians fear losing homes as evictions loom
Israel postponed the court hearing on the case in order to defuse tensions.
The situation escalated further when Israeli security forces dispersed worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Muslims typically congregate for group prayer at the mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
Last week, Hamas threatened to fire rockets at Israel, unless Israeli forces left the Temple Mount. Israel refused to have its troops vacate the premises.
Hamas then launched rockets towards Jerusalem. In response, the Israeli military launched an offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
The Israeli military called the operation against Hamas Guardian of the Walls, a reference to Jerusalem. Hamas called its attacks against Israel Sword of Jerusalem.
German lawmakers host ′Solidarity with Israel′ rally | News | DW dw.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dw.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Jerusalem
Germany calls for cease-fire As long as there are states and groups that threaten Israel with destruction, it must be able to protect its inhabitants. Germany will continue to make contributions to ensure that this remains the case. Maas said as he met Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi. We support the international efforts for a cease-fire and are convinced that the violence must end as soon as possible in the interest of the people. I would also like to call for this here today, he added. The fact that we see that Hamas is again firing missiles into the south of Israel, since we have arrived here in Tel Aviv, is for us an indication of how serious the situation is that the people of Israel find themselves in, Maas said.
China has long portrayed itself as a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause while also building closer political, economic and military links with Israel.