Egyptian president urges immediate Gaza ceasefire during meeting with US official

Cairo, May 19 (IANS) Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called for reaching an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave during a meeting with a visiting US official.

Sisi made the appeal in Cairo when meeting with Massad Boulos, US senior adviser for Africa and presidential adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

The two sides discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and ways to restore regional stability, according to the statement.

During the meeting, Sisi spoke highly of the joint mediation efforts by Egypt, the US, and Qatar for the ceasefire in Gaza, affirming Egypt's commitment to continuing its coordination, Xinhua news agency reported.

For his part, Boulos affirmed the US commitment to continuing joint efforts with Egypt to restore calm to the Middle East in a way that serves the interests of all parties.

Their meeting comes as a new round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas was held on Saturday in Doha. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that an Israeli negotiation team is working in Doha "to realize every chance for a deal" that will "end the fighting," secure the release of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, expel Hamas militants, and disarm Gaza.

--IANS

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