Egyptian, U.S. presidents discuss necessity to achieve Gaza ceasefire

CAIRO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden discussed the need to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip, achieve a ceasefire, exchange captives and facilitate access to humanitarian aid during a phone conversation on Thursday, said the Egyptian presidency.

During the call, Sisi underscored the need to reach an immediate and sustainable ceasefire that allows the delivery of humanitarian aid in the war-ravaged Palestinian coastal enclave.

He warned of the repercussions of "continuing military escalation and targeting civilians" in Gaza.

For his part, Biden said that "achieving calm is a priority to restore stability in the region."

The U.S. president noted that he values the intensified Egyptian efforts toward achieving calm in Gaza and its role in delivering relief aid to the people of Gaza via Rafah crossing.

The two presidents stressed the necessity to avoid the expansion of conflict in the region.

So far, 30,035 Palestinians have been killed and 70,475 others injured in the Gaza Strip since Israel began its offensive against Hamas in October 2023, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Thursday.