During a visit to the Police Academy early on Friday, El-Sisi emphasized that international recognition for Palestine would entail full UN membership and acknowledgement from major countries.

"Despite the immense crisis and tragedy we have witnessed in Gaza over the past five months, the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, can be our solace," emphasized El-Sisi.

He underscored the rights of the Palestinian people to live with dignity in their own self-governed state.

'Weaponizing food'

In his speech, El-Sisi highlighted Egypt's concerns about the impact of the obstruction of aid delivery to Gaza, home to 2.4 million people, during the ongoing Israeli war.

He stated that Egypt had warned of the potential for famine due to the non-delivery of aid.

"Since the beginning, we have cautioned against using food as a weapon against innocent civilians," stated El-Sisi.

The president emphasized Egypt's efforts to keep the Rafah border crossing open for aid and its participation in a global alliance for aid airdrops in Gaza.

He, however, noted that the amount of aid delivered is far from sufficient to meet the daily needs of the people in Gaza.

"Thousands of tons" of aid are needed in the strip, the president noted.

El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s warning of the conflict spillover across the region. He also highlighted the impact of the ongoing Red Sea tensions on the Suez Canal and global trade.

Achieving a ceasefire

He expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached within the next few days without further negative developments exacerbating the situation.

"We are working towards a ceasefire, a truce, and the delivery of the maximum amount of aid to provide relief to the people of Gaza so that we do not end up in a famine," added El-Sisi.

He renewed warnings about Israel's planned invasion of Rafah, a southern city in Gaza situated on the border with Egypt and home to over half of Gaza's population.

Around 1.5 Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardments have sought refuge in the city.

El-Sisi highlighted the unprecedented civilian casualties and the extensive damage inflicted upon Gaza's infrastructure.

"Five months of violence and killings in Gaza is too much," said El-Sisi.

"We are making sincere and honest efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza to protect and save our people, especially innocent civilians," he added.

He said substantial sums of money and time are required for the reconstruction of Gaza.

According to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli war since October 7 has resulted in the death of 31,490 people and injured 73,439 others.