Egypt, US leaders discuss results of Doha talks for Gaza cease-fire

ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday discussed with his US counterpart Joe Biden the outcome of negotiations in Doha aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Gaza.

According to a statement by Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmad Fahmi, the Egyptian president received a phone call from Biden during which they discussed "the situations in the region and the efforts to restore the regional stability."

The two leaders "agreed on continuing and intensifying joint efforts in the upcoming days to reach a (cease-fire) deal," the statement said.

Al-Sisi stressed the continuation of Egyptian contacts with various parties in the region to urge “non-escalation and self-restraint, in light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East.”

The phone call came after the US, Egypt and Qatar announced that they have presented Israel and Hamas with what they called a "bridging proposal" to further narrow "remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the (a cease-fire in Gaza) deal."

A joint statement by the US, Egypt, and Qatar described the discussions, which took place over two days in Doha, as “serious and constructive,” adding that they “were conducted in a positive atmosphere.”

The mediators did not provide details of the new proposal but said that it is “consistent with the principles laid out by (US) President (Joe) Biden on May 31, 2024 and (UN) Security Council Resolution No. 2735.”

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's war in Gaza since last October, the vast majority of them women and children.

Vast tracts of the coastal territory have been completely leveled amid relentless Israeli bombardment that has reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble.

Gazans continue to face acute shortages of food, water, and medicine due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian assistance, as well as the significant curtailment of movement for aid convoys once they enter the strip.

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

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar