Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed on Monday to intensify efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
In a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo, Sisi and Blinken reviewed the latest developments pertinent to joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as well as a hostages-prisoners swap between Israel and Hamas.
The meeting also discussed Egyptian efforts to secure access to humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Sisi emphasised the importance of international cooperation to remove obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the necessity to end the war in the region and prevent the escalation of conflict.
He said the two-state solution should be implemented.
The Israeli army launched a military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah in early May, then took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
The move led to the closure of the vital crossing, with Egypt demanding Israeli withdrawal to resume the crossing’s operation.
During the talks, Blinken expressed the U.S. appreciation for Egypt’s ongoing efforts on both the political and humanitarian tracks and its commitment to continuing work and coordination with Egypt to restore security and peace to the region.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar managed to mediate a week-long Israel-Hamas truce in late November 2023.
However, Israel and Hamas, engaged in a deadly confrontation in Gaza since October 2023, failed to reach another ceasefire agreement after talks in Cairo in May.
