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CIA Director William Burns has old ties to the Middle East. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns met in Cairo to discuss Israel’s military escalation in the Gaza Strip, a presidential spokesman said. Sisi repeated a call for an immediate cease-fire to protect civilians and for “the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid,” the spokesman said.
Burns, who has longstanding ties in the Middle East, is visiting countries in the region to discuss the situation in Gaza, support for hostage negotiations—in which Egypt has been a mediator—and efforts to prevent the fighting between Israel and Hamas to escalate into a wider conflict, according to a U.S. official.