Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on US President Donald Trump on Monday to exert all efforts to end the war in Gaza and allow entry of humanitarian aid into the shattered Palestinian enclave.
Sisi and Trump have long enjoyed warm relations. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating in search of ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas since the war broke out on October 7, 2023.
"I direct this special message to President Trump: Please, exert all efforts to end this war and allow the entry of aid," Sisi said in a televised speech. He added that Trump was one who was "capable of stopping the war."
The latest round of indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and Hamas broke off last week with no deal in sight as mediators struggle to bridge the gaps between the two sides.
Sisi said Egypt was working to ensure the entry of the largest possible volume of aid into Gaza over the past months, but coordination between Israel and Egypt was needed to do so.
"We cannot deny aid to the enclave, but for aid to get in, coordination with the other side is needed," Sisi said.
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt on Sunday after months of rising international pressure and warnings from humanitarian organizations of starvation spreading across the small, coastal Gaza Strip arising from an Israeli blockade.
Easing restrictions, Israel carried out an air drop and announced a series of measures over the weekend including daily humanitarian pauses in three areas of Gaza and new safe corridors for aid convoys.
But a long-term steady supply of aid is needed to counter the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, UN aid agencies said on Monday.
