CAIRO, March 21 — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted the Egyptian presidency’s statement.
Blinken arrived in Cairo early Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
Talks between Sisi and Blinken dwelt on the situation in the Gaza Strip and mediation efforts to reach a cease-fire deal and hostage swap between Israel and Hamas.
The Egyptian leader warned of grave consequences from any Israeli ground attack on Rafah city, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge from Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
He also called for the entry of sufficient aid to Gaza and opening a political horizon to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Blinken, for his part, hailed Egyptian efforts to establish calm in the region, the statement said.
According to the statement, the two sides agreed on the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure access to humanitarian aid for Gaza’s population and reject any form of displacing the Palestinians from their land.
Blinken kicked off his latest regional tour on Wednesday by holding talks with officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss a cease-fire deal in Gaza. He is scheduled to visit Israel on Friday.
The top diplomat said Wednesday that the US has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that calls “for an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza that’s “tied to the release” of hostages held by Hamas.
— Bernama
