Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has met his Irish counterpart Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Simon Harris for talks on the conflict in Gaza and boosting bilateral ties, reports. The two heads of state discussed the Middle East situation, including the political upheaval in Syria, according to a statement from Higgins’s office. “The outrageous suffering in the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza was the central part of their discussion,” the statement added. There had also been “agreement on the need to expand international recognition of the Palestinian state”, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Mohamed al-Shenawy. Sisi praised Dublin’s “courageous positions in support of the Palestinian cause”, Shenawy added in a statement.