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US President Joe Biden thanked Egypt for “its successful diplomacy” and coordination with the United States to end a ceasefire to end 11 days of Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip and the rocket to Israel.
The White House said in a statement on Monday that Biden had discussed attempts to rebuild after the deadly attack on the besieged Palestinian territory in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
“The two leaders discussed the urgent need to provide humanitarian aid to those in need in Gaza and to support reconstruction in a way that benefits the people there and not Hamas,” the statement said.
Monday’s phone call came when US Secretary of State Biden Antony Blinken sent to the region to meet with Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders this week, as well as visit Egypt and Jordan.
Biden’s government has come under widespread pressure, including from its own Democratic Party, to pressure Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – but the US president and his top officials have demanded that behind – the – scenes diplomacy was better approach.
Egypt helped reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on Friday, and the country sent delegations to Tel Aviv and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to monitor the implementation of the agreement.
Last week, el-Sisi pledged $ 500 million to help rebuild Gaza.
Nearly 250 Palestinians, including dozens of children, were killed in the 11-day bombing of Israel in Gaza, which also injured about 2,000 others, damaging and destroying many buildings and critical infrastructure.
At least 12 people in Israel, including two children, were killed by rockets fired at them by Palestinian armed groups.
Violence erupted after Israel’s plan to forcibly relocate Palestinian families from occupied East Jerusalem and its attacks on Palestinian worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque assembly spurred widespread protests in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and within Israel. has.
Hamas, the Palestinian faction that rules Gaza, said it had started firing rockets at Israel in response to Israeli repression.