Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II for a summit in Cairo on Thursday, the presidency said, as violence in the neighbouring Gaza Strip spirals.

According to AFP,  the Jordanian royal court said in a statement that the two leaders would “discuss means to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza”.

Israel has been carrying out air and artillery strikes on Gaza since Hamas gunmen unleashed a massive attack on communities in southern Israel on October 7 that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people, mainly civilians.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry says the Israeli strikes have killed 3,478 people in the besieged Palestinian enclave, also mostly civilians.

Sisi and King Abdullah had been due to hold talks with US President Joe Biden and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Jordan this week, but Jordan cancelled the meeting after a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital.

Their meeting comes on the same day that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected in Cairo.

In a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Cairo on Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed “the priority of delivering humanitarian and emergency aid to the people of Gaza”, according to the foreign ministry.

Sisi also discussed “the situation in Gaza” with US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla, his office said Thursday.

Egypt and Jordan were the first Arab states to normalise relations with Israel, in 1979 and 1994 respectively, and have since been key mediators between Israeli and Palestinian officials.