UPDATES WITH MORE INFO
By Ibrahim al-Khazen
ANKARA (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Wednesday in Cairo on the third stop of his Middle East tour to solidify a cease-fire deal between Gaza-based Palestinian factions and Israel, according to Egyptian media.
The top US diplomat agreed with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to strengthen coordination on the truce and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.
Blinken began his tour in Israel on Tuesday where he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah regarding the cease-fire and rebuilding Gaza. He is scheduled to visit Jordan after Egypt.
“The US is providing more than $360 million of urgent support for the Palestinian people. We will galvanize the international community to make more aid available for humanitarian and development efforts,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.
The visit Wednesday is the first by Blinken to Egypt since he has taken office.
An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel took effect last Friday, putting an end to 11 days of the worst cycle of fighting in years.
At least 284 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and 39 women, and more than 1,900 others injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to Palestinian medics. At least 31 Palestinians were also killed in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank.
Thirteen Israelis were killed by Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Public Works Ministry in Gaza, 258 buildings — around 1,042 residential and commercial units — were destroyed during the Israeli onslaught.
Another 769 units were severely damaged, rendering them uninhabitable, and 14,536 suffered minor damage.
Seventeen hospitals were damaged and 53 schools.
*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara
