Abbas, in Turkey, calls for approval of Gaza ceasefire

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Friday urged support for an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, as he held talks with Turkey's leaders on a brief stopover after a visit to Cairo.

"Israel accepted the ceasefire proposal. We (the Palestinians) must also accept it so that we can put the Israeli side at unease," Abbas told a news conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul in comments translated from Arabic into Turkish.

Egypt-mediated talks to end the escalating Gaza Strip conflict have faltered amid Israeli plans to widen its ground operation in Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement.

Abbas voiced support for the ceasefire proposal which he said was floated by "our Egyptian brothers at our request".

Turkey, a staunch critic of the Israeli assaults in Gaza, is pressing for involvement of Hamas in any negotiations for a ceasefire.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood from power last year, has sought to isolate Hamas and initially demanded that the militants unconditionally accept its truce.