Egyptian president meets US Secretary of State Blinken for Gaza cease-fire talks

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met in Cairo on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for talks to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel said talks between the two sides will take up a host of regional and international issues, primarily efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.

Blinken arrived in Cairo early Wednesday for his 10th regional tour since last October to push for a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.

For months, the US, Egypt and Qatar, have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Netanyahu insists on maintaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor area on the Gaza-Egypt border, a position vehemently rejected by Cairo and Hamas.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.