Hommam Al Nassim 
Today, Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, at the head of an accompanying American delegation, in the presence of the head of the Egyptian “General Intelligence Service”, Major General Abbas Kamel.
The official spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic, Ahmed Fahmy, announced that the meeting witnessed a review of the latest developments in joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchange hostages and detainees. The two parties agreed to intensify these efforts during the current stage.
During the meeting, President Sisi stressed the importance of international cooperation to remove obstacles to the implementation of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, stressing the necessity of ending the war, preventing the expansion of the conflict, and moving forward with the implementation of the two-state solution.
US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, expressed the US administration’s appreciation for the ongoing Egyptian efforts on the political and humanitarian tracks, stressing the United States’ keenness to continue joint work and coordination between the two countries to restore security and peace in the region.
Blinken pointed out that Hamas is the only party opposing the American plan, calling on Arab governments to put pressure on it.
The meeting stressed the strength of the strategic partnership between Egypt and America, and the two countries’ keenness to continue joint coordination on various issues.
Blinken’s visit to Cairo comes as the first stop on his eighth tour in the region since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023. Blinken is expected to later go to Israel to discuss solutions that would allow the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which has been closed for a month.
In a related context, the American network “NBC News” reported that officials in Washington are studying the possibility of holding independent negotiations with Hamas through Qatar as a mediator, in order to release five American citizens held hostage, if recent diplomatic efforts fail.
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