Baghdad, The White House announced that US President Joe Biden discussed in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, efforts to stop the escalation in the Middle East and the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. A White House statement said today, Tuesday, that "President Biden spoke today with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and discussed their efforts to stop the escalation in the region, including through an immediate ceasefire and achieving a hostage release deal." The statement indicated that "President Biden thanked President El-Sisi for his firm leadership in facilitating the negotiations that have now reached the final stage." The statement added that Biden and El-Sisi "agreed on the need to complete the process as quickly as possible, and that the two leaders and their teams agreed to continue to coordinate closely in the coming days." Source: National Iraqi News Agency