Cairo urges Washington to pressure Tel Aviv to seriously engage in Gaza cease-fire talks

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Monday urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to pressure Israel to engage seriously in Gaza cease-fire talks.

Abdelatty spoke with Blinken over the phone about the ongoing tension in the region and how to contain it, said an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement.

He also asked Blinken to pressure Israel to stop practicing the policy of "brinkmanship," urging everyone to practice self-restraint to avoid risking further instability in the region.

Both top diplomats also reviewed the position of the cease-fire talks and mediators’ efforts to reach a deal.

For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last October by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar