Egypt's Sisi discusses Gaza reconstruction with Israeli PM Bennett
During their first phone call since Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took office, the two leaders agreed to meet soon.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the first time since the formation of Israel’s new government, and the two leaders agreed to meet soon.
During their phone call, the Egyptian president offered his congratulations to Bennett, whose ruling coalition recently unseated Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The new Israeli premier thanked Sisi for Cairo’s “important role in establishing stability, security and peace in the region.” The North African country brokered last month’s cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas after 11 days of fighting killed more than 250 people, the vast majority of them in the Gaza Strip.
Sisi stressed the need to rebuild the impoverished enclave, where thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Hamas targets during the conflict. Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has pledged $500 million to help fund its reconstruction.
