(MENAFN) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, jointly called on Wednesday for bolstering the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The initial stage of the ceasefire accord between Hamas and Israel, based on a plan introduced by US President Donald Trump, began on October 10.

During a meeting with Kallas in Brussels ahead of the inaugural Egypt-EU summit, President Sisi expressed his nation’s intention to deepen collaboration with the European Union to effectively implement both the ceasefire deal and Trump’s proposal, according to a statement from the presidency.

He underscored “the importance of underpinning the ceasefire, ensuring the regular entry of humanitarian aid, and starting the reconstruction process of the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli media have indicated that Israel has made the commencement of the second phase of the agreement contingent upon the return of the bodies of its remaining captives from Gaza.

Meanwhile, Hamas stated that it requires additional time and resources to locate and recover these bodies.

The Egyptian president also mentioned an international conference planned to be hosted by Egypt in November, aimed at addressing reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Gaza.

The United Nations has estimated that the expense of rebuilding the war-damaged territory, home to about 2.4 million Palestinians, will be approximately $70 billion.

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