The president also asserted that Egypt has never closed the Rafah crossing with Gaza, in response to “inaccurate” allegations made over the past months.

El-Sisi said Egypt’s position regarding the crossing has been announced more than once, but the repetition is important.

“We have been keen to provide relief to our brothers in Gaza as much as possible. But the thing is that in times of conflict, there is a lot of talk, some of which is true and some of it is not true,” El-Sisi said.

“However, since the day one of the conflict and even before it, we have been keen to keep the crossing … as a path to provide aid and relief.”

El-Sisi expressed hope that a ceasefire deal would be reached in the coming days in the Gaza Strip, where Israel killed over 30,000 Palestinians since 7 October.

The president made his remarks during an annual event for people with special needs

Among the guests at the event was Abdullah Al-Kahil, a Palestinian child who was severely injured in November by Israeli bombing and whose leg was at risk for amputation.

Thanks to this timely intervention and the work of Egyptian doctors, Abdullah did not lose his leg.

He appeared at the event in a wheelchair, recounting the distressing scenes he witnessed in Gaza caused by the Israeli aggression.