Neighbors seek peace process revival

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Sunday with his visiting Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi to discuss solidifying the recent truce in the Gaza Strip and ways to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The pair agreed to continue consultations between the two countries and the Palestinian Authority "to explore ways out of the current stalemate in the peace track", the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The talks also addressed the necessary measures to facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza Strip following the recent Israeli bombings that caused massive damage to Gaza's infrastructure. Egypt has allocated $500 million for the reconstruction.

Ashkenazi's visit to Egypt came 10 days after the Egypt-brokered ceasefire that ended 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas. The conflict left at least 248 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

It is the first trip by an Israeli foreign minister to Egypt since 2008. A visit by Shoukry to Israel in 2016 was the first of its kind by an Egyptian foreign minister since 2007.

Xinhua - Agencies