Palestinian President Abbas flies into Cairo for peace talks

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Sunday afternoon for an official two-day visit to Egypt. 

During the trip he will meet Egyptian officials to discuss the latest Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has led to civilian deaths.

Abbas is also due to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday to discuss efforts to revive the peace process in light of the continued Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

An international peace conference has become a necessity in order to create a "suitable mechanism to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state", Abbas said.

The delegation includes officials from the governing Palestinian Authority, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, including the group's Secretary-General Saeb Erekat and PA general intelligence agency chief Majid al-Faraj.

Israel has been carrying out intensive air raids on Gaza since last week, claiming that it is responding to "ongoing attacks" by Hamas against its forces.

But Hamas claimed it was not seeking war with Israel, however, it was merely defending Palestinian territory from intrusions by Israeli troops.

Earlier in May, Egypt mediated a ceasefire between the Israeli and Palestinian sides following a few days of cross-border conflict between Hamas - which controls the Gaza Strip - and Israel.

In 2014, Egypt brokered an open-ended ceasefire after a 51-day Israeli attack on Gaza in a summer offensive, which killed more than 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis, according to the United Nations.

The war has also caused extensive damage to Gaza's infrastructure.

Egypt signed a peace deal with Israel in 1979, making it the first Arab nation to recognise the country.