The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Saturday called on Israel and Palestine to settle on an open-ended ceasefire in the region and resume indirect peace talks, days after a temporary truce broke down after Hamas resumed rocket fire on Israel on Tuesday.

The call had come shortly after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the resumption of peace talks.

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the recent ceasefire's halt.

On Saturday, Netanyahu spoke with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on the Gaza conflict. He accused Hamas of violating 11 ceasefires since the war began on July 8.

In reference to the Hamas' recent execution of 18 suspected Israeli collaborators, Netanyahu claimed the Hamas was no different from the Islamic State, adding that both groups are known to carry out mass executions and that both oppress and persecute minorities.

He also noted the two blocs' shared ideology of establishing an Islamic caliphate through the same brutal methods.

"Hamas is the Islamic State, the Islamic State is Hamas," Netanyahu added.

While the Israel government's spokesperson, Mark Regev, did not comment on Cairo's call for renewed talks, Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesperson for the Hamas, said the group would deliberate on the appeal but reiterated that it would not give up its demands.

Hamas demands the permanent lifting of a Gaza blockade Israel and Egypt erected in 2007. The blockade restricts movement of the region's 1.8 million residents. It also wants a Gaza airport reopened and is pushing for the construction of a sea port.

On the other hand, Israel said it can ease the blockade but that restrictions on Palestinian travel and trade would remain in place unless Palestine agrees to the demilitarization of Gaza.

Hamas has refused Israel's demands.

Meanwhile, Hamas has signified its intent to back Palestinian efforts to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move that may possibly expose Israel - and Hamas - to anti-war crime action.

It is unclear whether Abbas will push through with the appeal since joining the ICC could worsen relations with Israel, hurt ties with the U.S. and lose the Western financial backing his government badly needs.

No action will be taken with regard to the matter until March when a UN inquiry on war crimes committed in Gaza is expected to be submitted, Abbas' adviser said.

TagsGaza, ceasefire, Palestine, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas, International Criminal Court