During a meeting in the northern city of New Alamein, the president affirmed that the end of the fighting must be the beginning of a broader international recognition of an independent Palestinian state, according to a statement from his office.

Reason and wisdom must prevail in order to stop the conflict through diplomacy, he said.

He warned of the grave risks of the expansion of war in the Middle East, which, he said, would have “potentially unimaginable consequences.”

According to the text, El-Sisi and Blinken addressed the tripartite mediation efforts between Egypt, the United States and Qatar, so far without clear results.

They also exchanged views on the recent talks in Doha and explored ways forward for the upcoming contacts in Cairo, which will take place on Thursday and Friday.

Tuesday’s meeting was attended by high-level officials, including Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and the head of the country’s Intelligence Service, General Abbas Kamel.

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