"I strongly condemn the excessive use of force and the deaths, and I am working hard and in every direction to end the confrontation in a peaceful way, God protect Egypt and have mercy on the victims," ElBaradei said on Saturday.

Egyptian security forces killed dozens of Muslim Brotherhood activists and their supporters on Friday night and Saturday morning in the capital Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. They were protesting against this month’s ouster of Morsi in a military coup.

Muslim Brotherhood spokesman said on Saturday that men in helmets and black police fatigues fired live bullets on the protesters demanding Morsi's reinstatement.

"They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," said Gehad el-Haddad. "The bullet wounds are in the head and chest."

On Friday, tens of thousands of Egyptians heeded a call by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to hold rallies in favor of army’s intervention to crackdown protests, while tens of thousands of pro-Morsi protesters took to the streets to demand his reinstatement.

On July 3, Sisi announced that Morsi, a former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was no longer in office and declared that the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mahmoud Mansour, had been appointed as the new interim president of Egypt. The army also suspended the constitution.

Army officials said Morsi, who took office in June 2012, was being held “preventively” by the military.

On July 5, Muslim Brotherhood supreme leader Mohammed Badie said the coup against Morsi was illegal and millions would remain on the street until he is reinstated as president.

Since then, Egypt has been the scene of rival rallies and clashes between thousands of the supporters and opponents of Morsi.

NTJ/SHI