Achi news desk-
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) – Government ministers from five Arab countries met Thursday in Cairo with a Palestinian official to discuss the Gaza war, Egypt’s foreign ministry said, ahead of talks with the top US diplomat.
The ministers discussed “efforts needed to stop (the) Israeli war and reach a ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the provision of full assistance,” Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abuzeid wrote on X.
The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan as well as the Emirati minister of international cooperation and the Palestinian Authority’s minister of civil affairs, the ministry said.
Later on Thursday Arab officials were due to hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is visiting Egypt as part of his sixth regional trip since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.
Blinken also had separate meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss “continued efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza” and “secure an immediate ceasefire that includes the release of hostages, ” according to the state department.
Egypt, the main entry point for aid deliveries to Gaza and a key mediator in ongoing talks in Qatar to secure a six-week ceasefire in the war that would allow a hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and increase aid deliveries to Gaza.
The bloodiest war in Gaza ever began on October 7 after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in around 1,160 deaths, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Militants also seized around 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 presumed dead.
Israel has carried out a relentless offensive against Hamas that has killed nearly 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
UN agencies have warned that 2.4 million people in Gaza are on the brink of starvation, and UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel could be using “starvation as a method of warfare”.
During Wednesday’s visit to Saudi Arabia Blinken unveiled a draft US resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States, Israel’s main supporter, has previously used a UN Security Council veto to block the world body from calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
