Blinken discusses Gaza ceasefire efforts in meetings with Egypt’s president, foreign minister

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Al Alamein, Egypt, earlier today, a readout from the State Department says.

During his meeting with Sisi, Blinken thanked him for Egypt’s role as a mediating party in the ongoing talks with Israel and Hamas for a hostage release and ceasefire deal, the readout says, adding that he “also stressed the importance of continuing to work together to prevent regional escalation in this critical time.”

Meeting with Abdelatty, Blinken thanked him for the “sustained efforts to finalize a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of all hostages, surge humanitarian assistance, and create a path for broader regional stability,” the readout states.

The two also discussed “other regional issues and priorities” relevant to both the US and Egypt, it adds.