Egypt’s top diplomat says Trump’s Gaza plan has ‘many loopholes’

ISTANBUL

Egypt’s foreign minister said Thursday that US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan has “many loopholes.”

Cairo “is coordinating with our brothers in Qatar and with our colleagues in Türkiye in order to convince Hamas to respond positively to this plan,” the state-run Al-Qahera News channel quoted Badr Abdelatty as saying at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris.

“There are many loopholes (in Trump’s plan) that need to be closed,” he added.

The top diplomat said further discussion was needed on the plan’s implementation, particularly regarding governance and security arrangements in Gaza during the transitional period.

“We are very cautious and are talking to Hamas to assess their reaction to this plan,” the minister said.

“If there is political will, I believe this Gaza plan can be implemented on the ground, but it requires participation,” Abdelatty said.

He warned that Hamas’ rejection of the plan would make the situation in the region “extremely difficult” and risk escalation.

Egypt “will not allow the displacement of Gaza’s residents under any circumstances,” the minister stressed.

Separately, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Trump’s ceasefire plan included “principles that have always aligned with Egypt’s position.”

Madbouly said these principles include “no displacement of Palestinians, no annexation of Gaza or the West Bank, the necessity of a ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners from both sides, and the reconstruction of Gaza.”

“The challenge will be in the details of the plan,” he added at a press conference in Cairo.

On Sept. 29, the White House issued a detailed plan calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, followed by a comprehensive program for reconstruction and a reorganization of the enclave’s political and security situation.

The plan seeks to turn Gaza into a weapons-free zone, with a transitional governance mechanism, overseen directly by Trump through a new international body tasked with monitoring implementation.

It includes the release of all Israeli captives held by Hamas within 72 hours of approval, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

The plan stipulates halting hostilities, disarming the Palestinian resistance, and Israel’s gradual withdrawal from Gaza, to be governed by a technocratic authority under the supervision of an international body led by the US president.

However, the plan is built on a compromise that is not binding on Israel, while the obligations imposed on Hamas are clear and strict.

It also lacks specific timelines for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza or for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.