CAIRO

Egypt warned Wednesday that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip will lead to an expansion of the conflict in the region.

The warning came during a meeting in Cairo between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and a US delegation led by Senator Johnny Ernst.

Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s outright rejection of the displacement of Palestinians or the elimination of the Palestinian issue, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and for allowing sufficient humanitarian aid to meet the needs of the territory’s population.

The Egyptian minister also called on influential international actors, including the United States, to fulfill their responsibilities towards curbing Israeli violations in Gaza and urged accountability of those responsible.

Shoukry stressed that the security of navigation in the Red Sea is crucial for a smooth and secure flow of global trade, the statement said.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for a deadly military offensive by Israel on the Gaza Strip.

Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 22,313 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,296 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio