Yasser Othman, the Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, said Wednesday that there Egyptian-Israeli relations are still tense after the killing of five Egyptian soldiers last week, in the aftermath of a murderous terror attack on Israel.
Egypt had "forbidden" Israel from launching a large-scale operation in Gaza, he added.
“We want a clear, strong apology and a pledge to not to repeat such acts in the future,” he told Bethlehem-based Maan News. Egypt's cabinet said that it was not enough that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres expressed regret over the incident.
According to Maan, Othman said that Israel did not launch a large-scale operation because "they fear the Egyptian people’s reaction."
“The Egyptian side has felt after the Eilat operation that Israel intends to [get] revenge,” he said, adding that Egypt sent "a strong message to Israel saying it won’t allow an operation to take place."
The Eilat terror attacks in which 8 Israelis were murdered had nothing to do with Egypt, Othman said, and investigations are ongoing on both sides.