Gaza: Slovenia and Egypt call for a ceasefire

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

At a news briefing after their meeting, both ministers called for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages.

"We want to see that there is a progress in the talks for the agreement in Cairo, for the cease-fire and the release of hostages and also to see that Palestinian authorities in Ramallah can rebuild trust and take control over Gaza," Fajon told the gathered media.

Fajon also stressed the importance of aid reaching the enclave and revealed Slovenia's decision to make moves towards the recognition of a Palestinian state.

"We decided, in the government of Slovenia, to launch the procedures for recognition of Palestinian statehood, meaning that we also want to see an impact on the ground with creating certain pressure," Fajon advised.

Shokury also advised that the "Egyptian Israeli peace agreement" is the best chance for achieving peace in the region and also has "mechanisms" to "deal with any violations."

The comments come as Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Sunday and battled Hamas in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago but where militants have regrouped.

Rafah is considered the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million civilians as well as Hamas' last stronghold.

Some 300,000 people have fled the city following evacuation orders from Israel, which says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return scores of hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack against Israel that sparked the war.