Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received U.S. Secretary of State "Antony Blinken" and his accompanying delegation today, Monday, in the presence of General Abbas Kamel, head of the General Intelligence.

The official spokesman for the presidency stated that the meeting witnessed a review of the latest developments in the joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of hostages and detainees, where it was agreed to intensify these efforts during the current phase. The meeting also discussed Egyptian efforts to enforce humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

In this regard, the President emphasized the importance of international efforts to remove obstacles to the enforcement of humanitarian aid, to reopen the Rafah crossing, the necessity of ending the war in the sector, preventing the expansion of the conflict, and moving forward in implementing the two-state solution.

For his part, the U.S. Secretary of State confirmed the U.S. administration's appreciation for ongoing Egyptian efforts on both the political and humanitarian fronts, and its commitment to continue working and coordinating jointly between the two countries to restore security and peace in the region.

The official spokesman added that the meeting also witnessed confirmation from both sides of the strength of the Egyptian-American strategic partnership, and the two countries' commitment to continuing joint coordination on various topics and issues.

This visit is the eighth for the U.S. Secretary of State to the region since the events of October 7.

This visit aims to "push towards the approval of a proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and the "Hamas" movement, as revealed by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31." 

The "Hamas" movement has not yet provided its official response.

During his Middle East tour, Blinken will also visit Jordan and Qatar before moving on to Italy, where he will accompany U.S. President Joe Biden during the G7 summit on Wednesday.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas leader, preempted Blinken's tour today, urging the United States to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza.

It is noteworthy that days ago, Biden proposed a three-phase truce in Gaza, primarily aimed at achieving a ceasefire between Israel and "Hamas," the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

The international community welcomed the proposed announcement, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres encouraged "all parties to seize the opportunity for a ceasefire," while French President Emmanuel Macron called for "lasting peace" in the region.

In turn, a statement issued by Netanyahu's office confirmed that the conditions for ending the war in Gaza "have not changed," indicating that "according to the proposal, Israel will continue to insist on achieving these conditions before establishing a permanent ceasefire, and the idea of Israel agreeing to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are met is out of the question."

For its part, "Hamas" stated in a statement: "We view positively what was included in the U.S. President's speech regarding the ceasefire in Gaza."

It added: "We are ready to engage positively with any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction, the return of displaced persons, and the exchange of prisoners and hostages."