Macron on Tuesday visited Israel where he voiced support for its riposte to Hamas after gunmen from the Islamist group unleashed the deadliest attack on Israel in its history on October 7. He also visited the occupied West Bank.
The French leader is also due to meet King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman before leaving for Egypt, one of the main brokers in efforts to secure the release of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of his meeting with Macron, Sisi inspected Egyptian troops and spoke of "patience" and "wisdom" in a televised address.
"You must always be ready," the Egyptian president told the armed forces, three days after an Egyptian border watchtower was hit and guards were wounded by accidental Israeli shelling.
Sisi said his nation was doing "all it can" to push for de-escalation and a cease-fire, as well as "support civilians in Gaza" by securing aid through the Rafah border crossing, the only passage in and out of the territory not controlled by Israel.
He added the military exercise was originally planned for the 50th anniversary of the "glorious victory" of 6 October 1973 — the date of a surprise attack that led to Egypt regaining control of the Sinai Peninsula from Israeli occupation.
In the Camp David accords of 1979, Egypt became the first Arab state to recognize Israel and normalize relations.
On October 7, Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
The Palestinian territory's Hamas-controlled health ministry said Israel’s attacks have resulted in the death of more than 5,790 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians.
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