Egyptian Foreign Minister, US Secretary Of State Agree On Urgency For Gaza Cease-Fire

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held discussions stressing the importance of reaching a cease-fire deal in Gaza, Cairo said Friday.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that Shokhry received a phone call from Blinken on Thursday.

"Minister Shoukry stressed the necessity of reaching a cease-fire as soon as possible," he added.

The two ministers agreed on "the importance of urging the parties to show flexibility" to reach an agreement to put an "end to the humanitarian tragedy and allow full and sustainable access to humanitarian aid" for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Shoukry also reiterated to his American counterpart "the dangers of an Israeli military operation in the Palestinian Rafah region."

Both Shoukry and Blinken emphasized their countries' "categorical rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land."

On Monday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

A day later, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing linking Gaza with Egypt, closing it to all traffic.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack in October, which killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children. Over 78,500 others have been injured, according to Palestinian health authorities. Thousands remain missing.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN. Most of the displaced have sought refuge in Rafah following earlier Israeli evacuation orders.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in the coastal enclave, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi​​​​​​​ -