Egypt renews call for Israel-Iran de-escalation, Gaza ceasefire

CAIRO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Thursday renewed Egypt's call for halting the ongoing military escalation between Israel and Iran and for advancing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, describing negotiations as the only path to regional stability.

Abdelatty made the remarks during a phone call with the European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, which addressed "the grave developments in the Middle East and means to halt the military escalation between Israel and Iran," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He updated the EU official on "Egypt's endeavors to cease the escalation, secure a ceasefire, and return to the track of negotiations, deeming this the sole path to reaching a sustainable agreement on the Iranian nuclear program and to avert the risk of a comprehensive conflagration in the region."

The ongoing Israeli-Iranian conflict started early Friday, when Israel launched a series of large-scale airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing several top commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran retaliated overnight with missile and drone strikes on Israeli territory, including Tel Aviv.

As for the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, in which over 55,706 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, Abdelatty said that Egypt is working with Qatar and the United States to restore the ceasefire and ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the enclave.

He also emphasized the necessity of working towards a political horizon for the Palestinian cause and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the two-state solution, "as the only means to achieve lasting stability in the region," according to the statement. ■