US President holds separate calls with leaders from Qatar, Egypt over Gaza ceasefire talks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a phone call on Monday from U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss the latest developments in negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and the dangers of a military escalation in Rafah, a statement from Egypt's presidency said.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency said the call also touched on the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a main sticking point in any comprehensive ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo to deliberate on Israel's response to a ceasefire deal.

The danger of a military escalation in Rafah was also stressed, in how it would add catastrophe to an already worsening humanitarian crisis that would impact stability and security in the region, the statement said.

"President Al-Sisi stressed the necessity of full and adequate access to humanitarian aid, reviewing the intensive Egyptian efforts in this regard.

The two presidents also stressed the necessity of working to prevent the expansion of the conflict and reaffirmed the importance of the two-state solution as the means to achieve security, peace, and stability in the region," the Egyptian presidency statement said.

Biden also held a phone call late on Monday with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose country has also played a role as mediator to the conflict.

"During the call, they discussed developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, and efforts of the two countries to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire agreement in Gaza," Qatar's Emiri Diwan said in a statement.