CAIRO, Jul 17 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, held a phone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron yesterday, to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
During the call, Sissi briefed Macron on Egypt’s mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, while highlighting the need for uniting international efforts, to ensure the success of mediation and deliver adequate humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Macron expressed appreciation for Egypt’s persistent efforts, since the onset of the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. The two leaders agreed on the importance of enhancing international cooperation, to prevent the conflict from expanding and the region from slipping into further turmoil.
The two leaders reiterated the need to advance the two-state solution as the best way to achieve lasting security and stability in the region, according to the statement.
Egypt and Qatar hosted a new round of negotiations over the past week, with the participation of the United States, aiming for a ceasefire agreement and a detainee swap deal between Israel and Hamas. However, little progress has been made.
The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, since Oct 7 last year, has killed, so far, 38,713 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured 89,166 others, according to an update, released by Gaza’s health authorities, yesterday.– NNN-MENA
