Mr. Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel\u2019s military actions, accused Israel\u2019s government of \u201ccondemning\u201d the people of Gaza to hunger and thirst. <\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael and its supporters are responsible for every innocent person who dies from hunger, thirst or lack of medicine,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

He also told reporters that T\u00fcrkiye wanted to cooperate with Egypt on natural gas and nuclear energy. <\/p>\n

Mr. Erdogan welcomed Mr. el-Sissi at the steps of his airplane at the airport in Ankara, a gesture he rarely makes.<\/p>\n

Mr. el-Sissi said on Facebook that his trip to T\u00fcrkiye and Erdogan\u2019s February visit to Cairo \u201cmirror the joint will to start a new era of friendship and cooperation between Egypt and T\u00fcrkiye.\u201d <\/p>\n

Egypt, together with Qatar and the United States, a key Israel ally, has been working for months to try and broker a cease-fire and the return of the remaining more than 100 hostages held by the Palestinian militant Hamas group. The negotiations have stalled following new Israeli demands. <\/p>\n

Egypt opposes any Israeli presence along the Gaza side of its border, claiming it would threaten the decades-old peace treaty between the countries, a cornerstone of regional stability. Hamas had asked to have T\u00fcrkiye added as a guarantor in the cease-fire talks, but the proposal was not accepted. <\/p>\n

The war began with Hamas\u2019 October 7 assault on Israel in which the militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages. The overall Palestinian death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 40,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.<\/p>\n