LOC16:43
13:43 GMT
CAIRO, May 9 (KUNA) -- Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi on Friday affirmed Cairo's utmost backing for the Palestinian cause, necessity of halting the fire in Gaza, releasing the prisoners and delivering sufficient aid to the strip population.
The Egyptian Presidency said in a a statement that Al-Sisi expressed the strong support during a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow during Russia's celebration of the War War II victory over Nazism, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.
It quoted Abbas as expressing appreciation for Egypt's efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, noting necessity of the aspired truce and freeing the prisoners. He indicated that effective diplomacy was needed amid the daily heavy casualties suffered by the Gazans, with more than 100 martyrs reported every day.
Elaborating, Abbas mentioned that 149 states have so far recognized the State of Palestine and expressed hope that other countries namely the US would follow suit.
The Palestinian Authority is suffering from financial difficulties, he said, indicating that the Israeli occupation has been holding some two billion US dollars worth of fees for the Palestinian Authority, thus deepening it financial crisis. He hoped that the Arab leaders during their upcoming summit would address this issue.
President Al-Sisi praised Abbas' measures to reform the authority, noting necessity to take necessary procedures to dispatch humanitarian aid into Gaza and re-assured Abbas that Cairo would always support the Palestinian cause. (end)
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