The exchange of missiles and rockets between the Israeli occupation and armed groups in Gaza has killed 32 people in three days. Despite mediation efforts to stop the escalation, the two sides continued to exchange missiles and rockets on Friday 12 May. Egypt, traditionally involved in Middle East conflict resolution, is pushing for a ceasefire as the international community makes repeated calls for an end to this latest round of clashes, the worst since August 2022.

The hostilities began on Tuesday with Israeli strikes targeting the Hamas movement, a Palestinian group considered a "terrorist organisation" by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Mohammed al-Hindi, head of the movement's political department, arrived in Cairo on Thursday and expressed hope that truce negotiations would be concluded soon. "We hope to reach an honourable agreement that preserves the interests of our people and the resistance," he said.

Despite a relative pause overnight, witnesses in the southern Gaza Strip and Palestinian security sources reported that more rockets were fired into the occupied territory on Friday morning. For its part, the occupation army claimed to have targeted Hamas sites again, after targeting several military installations and rocket launching sites overnight.

The European Union's head of diplomacy, Josep Borrell, urged an immediate ceasefire to end Israeli military operations in Gaza and rocket attacks on Israel, calling them "unacceptable". The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Egypt and Jordan also called for a de-escalation.