Egypt, Iran discuss efforts for restoration of ceasefire in Gaza

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Iran spoke over the phone and discussed efforts to restore the ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday.

Badr Abdelatty and Abbas Araghchi discussed efforts to start the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

On March 18, Israel shattered the ceasefire agreement signed on January 19, and resumed its deadly onslaught against Gaza, killing so far nearly 1,500 Palestinians.

The Egyptian and Iranian foreign ministers also discussed developments in the Red Sea.

Abdelatty stressed "the necessity of protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea" and restoring calm in the region, the statement said.

The Yemeni group Houthi has targeted Israel-linked ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has killed more than 50,000 people.

The group halted attacks when a ceasefire in Gaza was declared in January between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, but resumed them after renewed Israeli airstrikes on the enclave last month.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered "decisive and powerful military action" against the Houthis and later threatened to "completely annihilate them."