Egypt Strives To Convince Hamas To Accept President Trump's Proposal

Israeli military operations in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Thursday Cairo was working with Qatar and Turkey to convince Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept US President Donald Trump's plans to end the war in the Gaza Strip, warning the conflict would escalate if the militant group refused.

Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, Foreign Minister Abdelatty said Hamas had to lay off arms, while Israel should not be given reason to continue its attacks on Gaza.

"Don't give a single party a reason to use Hamas as an excuse for killing insane civilians every day. What happened goes far beyond October 7", he said, referring to the Palestinian militant group attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and about 251 others held hostage according to Israeli calculations.

"This is more than just revenge. This is the ongoing cleansing of ethnicity and genocide. So, that's enough," said Foreign Minister Abdelatty.

The White House earlier this week unveiled a document containing 20 points calling for an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of hostages detained by Hamas with Israeli detained Palestinian prisoners, a gradual withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, the ceasefire of Hamas, and a transitional government led by international agencies.

On Tuesday, President Trump gave Hamas three to four days to approve the plan.

Egypt is the main mediator in an attempt to end the Gaza war. Foreign Minister Abdelatty warned of the risk of an increase in escalation if Hamas rejected this proposal.

"If Hamas refuses, you know, then it will be very difficult. And of course, we will experience further escalation. That is why we are mobilizing our intensive efforts so that this plan can be implemented and get approval from Hamas," he explained.

Foreign Minister Abdelatty said that although she generally supports Trump's proposal for Gaza, more negotiations are needed regarding this matter.

"There are many loopholes that need to be filled in, we need more discussions on how to implement them, especially on two important issues - governance and security arrangements," he explained.

"We support Trump's plans and a vision to end the war, and we need to move forward," said Foreign Minister Abdelatty.