CAIRO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed on Friday the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli escalation in the West Bank.

During a phone conversation, both sides emphasized the importance of rapidly reaching a ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and facilitating the tasks of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Egyptian foreign minister stressed the necessity of stopping the "aggression" and quickly delivering humanitarian aid to the Strip.

He affirmed that peace, security, and stability will not be achieved in the region without establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

For his part, Guterres appreciated the mediation role played by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to reach a ceasefire agreement and exchange prisoners and hostages, expressing his hope that this agreement would be reached as soon as possible.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

The months-long Israeli offensive has led to 41,118 Palestinian deaths in the coastal enclave, according to Gaza-based health authorities on Thursday. Enditem

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