Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty held a phone call in Washington with US President's Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Wietkoff, focusing on efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, facilitate unconditioned humanitarian aid access, and enable the release of hostages and detainees. The conversation comes ahead of Wietkoff's planned visit to the region. Both sides exchanged views on the joint efforts by the three guarantors — Egypt, the United States, and Qatar — to intensify pressure in support of a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible. Abdel-Aty gave a detailed briefing on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, attributing it to Israel's severe violations and the use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians. The Egyptian minister also discussed Cairo's efforts to resume negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, as well as talks between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
