Violence Live Blog

Crowds in Tahrir Square had eagerly anticipated Major General Said Abbas, the deputy head of the central military statement.  

Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna reporting from Tahrir Square said, the statement that a major general speaks to a group of people in Tahrir Square was unprecendented, however "the content is not going to meet the aspiration of the protesters."

Shadi Hamid, research director at Brookings Doha Centre, told Al Jazeera that the question is whether "the military will consider moving up the timetable for presidential elections and that is something that would appeal to the protesters in Tahrir Square." 

However, according to Hamid, there is another group that wants to see an immediate shift to civilian rule. an appointed civilian government woulnt be seen as legitimate. 

Hamid speculates that "we wont see a real transfer of power until at the very earliest in April."

Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian presidential hopeful and opposition figurehed, told the Guardian newspaper, he was ready to do "whatever it takes" to save Egypt from deepening crisis.

"I think what we've seen today is an excessive use of force, bordering on a slaughterhouse, against innocent civilians exercising their inalienable right to demonstrate," ElBaradei told the Guardian.

ElBaradei added: "It's yet another indication that Scaf and the current government are failing to govern and I fully sympathise with the increasing calls coming from different quarters, including Tahrir, for a new government of national salvation that represents all shades of Egyptian society, one with full power.

"I will do anything to save the country from falling apart and what we are seeing right now is the country going down. People are calling on me to present this government, and I will do whatever it takes to save our country from falling apart."