Rashwan made his remarks during an interview on the Madar Alghad TV programme on Monday.

Similarly, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said, during a presser with Côte d'Ivoire's FM Léon Kacou Adom earlier on Monday, that nothing prevents the deployment of international forces in Gaza to "realize Palestinian statehood" and ensure the security of all parties.

He added that resuming negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire is possible only "if there is good faith and political will," stressing that the region will not enjoy peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

During the interview, Rashwan strongly criticized Israel’s building of the so-called "humanitarian cities" in Gaza and the "mass displacement" of 700,000-900,000 Palestinians southward.

“No one in the world would call it otherwise,” he said. “For Egypt, this would be the absolute redline.”

He warned that the main danger in the Israeli plan is that it pushes for the displacement of Palestinians and the emptying of Gaza City within six weeks, as the Israelis indicated.

Regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to take control of Gaza, Rashwan said: "Egypt has repeatedly warned against this — via an official statement, then today via the foreign minister, and before that through President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi."

Despite clear opposition from many Western countries, the Israeli cabinet has already approved a plan to expand military operations in Gaza and take control of it, Rashwan noted.

"Netanyahu, for reasons we all know, does not want to back down; the price will therefore be very steep," he warned.

Ties with Hamas 
 

Rashwan underlined that Egypt has never closed its doors to Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or other resistance factions.

"Throughout its successive political systems, from former President Hosni Mubarak's era up until now, Egypt — represented by its authorities dealing with the Palestinian file — has never stopped engaging with all Palestinian resistance factions," he said.

Rashwan acknowledged that the recent remarks by Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya — urging Egyptians to "march toward Palestine by land and sea" and "besiege embassies" — have angered many in Egypt.

However, he rejected that Al-Hayya's "ill-judged comments" should define Egypt's relation with the Palestinian group. "They remains just comments," he said.

He highlighted that Egypt has maintained relations with Hamas even after the group's actions during the 2011 revolution.

"I would remind you that Hamas took certain actions during the 2011 revolution, yet Cairo did not allow this to hinder its continued relations with the group."

In a televised address on 28 July, President El-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s unwavering support for achieving a ceasefire and the two-state solution as the only viable path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Don’t think for a moment that we could be passive toward our Palestinian brothers. Egypt has a respectable, honest, and unwavering role that will not change,” the president said.  

El-Sisi also underscored Egypt's efforts to facilitate the entry of aid to Gaza, asserting that nothing on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing obstructs it.

"Neither our ethics, values, nor our national and moral responsibility would allow us to hinder it. However, the entry of aid requires coordination with the other party present at the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side," he added.

Egypt position
 

Commenting on reports of a new mediation proposal involving Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, Rashwan said: "We're talking about an ongoing Egyptian-Qatari mediation — Egypt has constant engagement with the Palestinian cause; Qatari mediation is due to several Hamas leaders being on its soil; and Turkish mediation comes now as well because several Hamas leaders are also on its soil."

"The Palestinian national movement must realize that geography plays a role in decision-making. Therefore, the real 'geography' in which Palestinian ranks come together is Palestinian national unity, which breaks any geography and any capital," he added.

Rashwan noted that Cairo and Doha in particular — the two constant mediators — have always been non-neutral mediators: "they have mediated on the side of the Palestinian cause and have never at any moment imposed on Hamas anything that ran counter to the interests of the Palestinian people."

However, he clarified that the situation is extremely delicate. "We can see with our own eyes that the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to control Gaza, despite the firm opposition of many countries worldwide."

When asked what message Egypt, as a mediator, would deliver to Hamas, Rashwan suggested it would include a reminder of Netanyahu’s latest statements and the shifting focus of the US foreign policy toward the Russia-Ukraine war.

"This is a massive opportunity for Israel," he said, highlighting the absence of any American protest or even comment against Israel's plan to take control of Gaza.

"We have not heard a single word from the official American side using terms like ‘control’ or ‘occupation,’ let alone rejecting them," he added.