Egypt with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States have for months tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza. Top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited the region this week to emphasise the urgency of an agreement. Witnesses on Friday reported combat in the territory's north, heavy shelling in the centre, and tank fire in the far south near Rafah city.
