The Brazilian president and his Egyptian counterpart have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also reiterated their support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state during a press conference in Cairo.
“We agreed on the importance of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of [Israeli] hostages and [Palestinian] prisoners and the passage of as much humanitarian aid as possible in order to preserve the lives of civilians,” Mr el-Sisi said.
Mr Lula added: “Peace cannot be achieved without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
“Brazil had strongly denounced the Hamas attack on Israel and we called it a terrorist attack.
“However, there is no justification for the way Israel reacted. Unfortunately, it is killing women and children.”
The leaders met to discuss strengthening relations with Africa, but inevitably spoke about the situation in the Middle East as Israel’s action in Gaza could mean that the refugee crisis spills into Egypt.
Many Palestinians are taking shelter at the border in Rafah due to ongoing Israeli strikes.
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