Egypt, Russia agree to intensify efforts to reach ceasefire in Gaza

CAIRO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on Tuesday to intensify international efforts toward an immediate ceasefire in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

During a phone conversation, both leaders focused on the latest developments in the Palestinian coastal enclave, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

They also agreed on exerting efforts to allow urgent access to humanitarian aid and taking the necessary measures to protect civilians and stop the bloodshed.

They stressed that this would pave the way for the political track, which aims to resolve the conflict based on the two-state solution, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Sisi reviewed Egypt's efforts to restore calm and the steps it was taking to deliver relief aid and evacuate foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians from Gaza.

Israel launched a massive attack on Gaza in retaliation for the surprise strike led by the Gaza-ruling Hamas movement on Oct. 7, in which Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The ongoing conflict, raging into the second month, has killed over 11,500 Palestinians in the coastal enclave, said the Hamas-run Health Ministry.