This came during a meeting in Cairo with Manfred Weber, the Chairman of the European People's Party Group (EPP); the largest political group in the European Parliament.

During the meeting, El-Sisi also stressed the urgency of stopping the aggression in the West Bank and ensuring immediate, full and unfettered access to humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

El-Sisi reiterated to Manfred that the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in line with international legitimacy are essential for achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.

For his part, Weber expressed his appreciation for Egypt's steadfast role in promoting regional stability and its diligent efforts to address ongoing crises in the region.

On Sunday evening, El-Sisi unveiled an Egyptian initiative for a two-day ceasefire in Gaza, during which four Israeli captives would be exchanged for a number of Palestinian prisoners.

The proposal is a preliminary step for a more lengthy ceasefire, El-Sisi said at a press conference with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Cairo.

The Egyptian initiative comes as Doha is hosting a fresh round of talks starting involving officials from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel, in hopes of reaching a ceasefire agreement.

Egypt, along with the US and Qatar, has been mediating indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal during the more-than-one-year Israeli war on Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed and injured over 140,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, damaged most of Gaza’s infrastructure, and displaced the majority of the population.

Egyptian-European relations

El-Sisi and Weber’s meeting also underlined the depth of Egyptian-European relations, which have recently resulted in a comprehensive strategic partnership between Egypt and the EU, reflecting the shared mutual interests of both sides.

The chairman of EPP highlighted the growing and diverse economic relations between the two sides, as well as the rise in European investments in Egypt, aimed at achieving mutual benefits.

In March, Egypt and the European Union signed the Joint Declaration on the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership in Cairo.

The European Union is Egypt's primary trading partner, with trade exchanges amounting to approximately €32.6 billion in 2023, representing about 27 percent of Egypt's total foreign trade, according to Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib.