During a meeting in Cairo, Sejourne reviewed the outcomes of his recent trip to Lebanon and Israel, shedding light on France's endeavours to de-escalate the situation in southern Lebanon, aiming to prevent the conflict from further widening in the region.

The French minister also stressed his country's efforts to avoid further instability in Lebanon amid the war in Gaza, emphasizing that any potential truce in Gaza must be accompanied by a similar truce in Lebanon.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has exchanged near-daily strikes with Israeli forces in the border region – and sometimes beyond – for almost seven months against the backdrop of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 350 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and allied groups, but also more than 50 civilians.

Strikes by Hezbollah have killed at least 10 civilians and 12 soldiers in Israel. Tens of thousands have been displaced on either side of the border.

Gaza war
 

Shoukry and Sejourne also had intensive discussions on ways to resolve the war in the Gaza Strip, reach a ceasefire, and avoid further worsening of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Furthermore, the meeting touched on the ongoing truce negotiations between Hamas and Israel, with Egyptian mediation, to reach a ceasefire and exchange captives and detainees.

In this regard, Shoukry stressed Egypt’s continuous efforts to reach an agreement, urging more flexibility from the concerned parties to spare the blood of the Palestinians and push towards calm, ultimately leading to a complete ceasefire.

He also emphasized the importance of the recognition of the Palestinian state on 1967 borders as an important step towards establishing an independent Palestinian state and implementing the two-state solution.

For his part, the French top diplomat stressed his country's keenness to support Arab efforts to resolve the Palestinian cause, based on France's position as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and a supportive country to the Arab issues, especially the Palestinian rights.

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, both ministers also reaffirmed their full rejection of any Israeli attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause by displacing Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip.

They also agreed to completely reject any ground military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah due to its grave humanitarian risks and threats to regional stability, noting that more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are currently residing in the southern Gaza Strip.

Both sides further discussed the tragic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, with Shoukry stressing the necessity of providing more humanitarian aid and pressuring Israel to open the land crossings and facilitate the entry of aid into the Strip.

The two ministers also stressed the importance of supporting the efforts of the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag regarding the tasks assigned to her under UNSC Resolution 2720 to facilitate, coordinate, and monitor the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.