CAIRO

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed increasing efforts to establish a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon in a phone call on Saturday.

Al Nahyan and Blinken exchanged views on the recent developments in the Middle East, particularly the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The phone call focused on "intensifying efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire and end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” and the recent developments in Lebanon, it added.

Additionally, the officials addressed the situation in Sudan and its humanitarian implications.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 43,550 people, mostly women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, more than 3,100 people have been killed and over 13,800 others injured since last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region is on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi