Egypt called Tuesday for a cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, saying that the conflict could expand into a broader, regional war if fighting is not halted in the narrow territory along the Mediterranean Sea.
"The time has come to end the ongoing war, and to resort to wisdom, and to uphold the language of peace and diplomacy," Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in a statement after meeting at his summer palace in El Alamein with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
El-Sissi said all parties must be wary of the "danger of the conflict expanding regionally" and that the risk of broader warfare would be "difficult to imagine."
The Egyptian leader said a cease-fire in Gaza “must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region."
During months of stalemated talks on a cease-fire in the 10 1/2-month war, the United States has maintained its support for a two-state solution calling for creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to oppose such an outcome as untenable for Israel’s security.
Egypt, along with Qatar and the U.S., have pushed negotiations for a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas but have been unable to complete a pact.