Top Egyptian, U.S. diplomats discuss Gaza development

CAIRO, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministerial meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to discuss the latest development in the Gaza Strip, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Thursday.

The ministry said in a statement that during the talk, Shoukry said Egypt regrets the failure of the U.N. Security Council to adopt a Gaza ceasefire resolution "due to the repeated use of the unjustified U.S. veto."

The Egyptian top diplomat stressed the necessity of reaching "a full ceasefire" in Gaza to spare the lives of civilians, de-escalate the situation, and start "a serious dialogue" regarding the future approach toward the Palestinian cause.

Shoukry and Blinken discussed the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a deal to swap Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees "that would allow the implementation of a truce for several weeks," according to the statement.

On Tuesday's Security Council meeting, the United States vetoed a draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, where Israeli strikes have been raging since the Gaza-ruling Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

The ongoing Israeli escalation since then has killed 29,410 Palestinians and injured 69,465 others, according to data released by Gaza's health ministry on Thursday.