CIA director meets Sisi as Egypt’s role grows

CIA Director Bill Burns met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s military escalation in the Gaza Strip, according to a presidential spokesperson.

Burns is in the region as part of Washington’s efforts to contain the war, negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas, and press Israel for a "tactical pause" in fighting.

Burns is looking to bolster relations with Cairo after sources told Middle East Eye that Egyptian officials warned the US that Israel’s goal to oust Hamas from power was "unrealistic".

Egypt has taken a more assertive position on the war than Israel and western capitals anticipated, pushing back against forced displacement of Palestinians and outsourcing security of the enclave to its military.

The visit marks a turnaround for Egypt’s diplomatic fortunes with the US after it was implicated in a US senate corruption probe and saw some military aid suspended.

“Whenever tensions erupt in Gaza, the US looks to Egypt,” Jonathan Cohen, the US’s former ambassador to Egypt, told MEE.

Read more: 'Conflicting pressures': Riled by Israel's Gaza plans, Egypt pushes back