Türkiye's Erdogan, Egypt's Sisi call for efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called for intensifying efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Erdogan's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a phone conversation, the two leaders talked about "Israel's attacks on Palestinian territory and efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza," according to the statement.

Erdogan underlined the significance for Islamic countries to continue their concerted endeavors to establish a lasting ceasefire, the statement said.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has reached 20,000, according to a statement issued by the Hamas-run government media office on Wednesday.

The heavy Israeli strikes on Gaza came in retaliation for an attack by the Gaza-ruling Hamas that killed about 1,200 in Israel, as per Israeli tallies.

The Turkish president, meanwhile, congratulated Sisi on his reelection as Egyptian president.

Erdogan hoped that Türkiye-Egypt relations would develop during Sisi's upcoming term as Egyptian president, said his office.

Ankara and Cairo are stepping up efforts to restore bilateral relations. Türkiye-Egypt relations turned sour after former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July 2013 and his Türkiye-backed Muslim Brotherhood group outlawed, prompting the two countries to expel each other's ambassadors.