CAIRO

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed on Sunday efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Sisi reviewed Egypt's “intensive efforts” to reach an immediate cease-fire, exchange prisoners and allow access to sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

The Egyptian leader praised efforts exerted by Guterres to urge the international community to contribute to stopping the Israeli war on Gaza and his keenness to adhere to international law and international cooperation law, the statement said.

“It's important for the UN Security Council to assume its responsibility related to the war in Gaza,” he added.

He also warned of the grave consequences of halting funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

“This is considered collective punishment of innocent Palestinians,” the statement quoted Sisi as saying.

The UN chief, for his part, hailed Egypt's regional role as a pivotal pillar of stability, according to the statement.

He underlined the importance of reaching a cease-fire “for humanitarian purposes to enable the delivery and effective distribution of aid to the people of the Gaza Strip.”

Guterres arrived on Saturday in the Egyptian city of El-Arish adjacent to the Gaza Strip where he visited Palestinian patients in the city's hospital.

This was his second visit to Egypt since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,200 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,500 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi