El-Sisi also urged the release of captives and detainees, and the immediate and unfettered entry of life-saving humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
Both sides stressed the urgency of halting the war, containing regional escalation and reviving a political process aimed at a just settlement, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
The push for an Israel-Hamas truce comes as Tel Aviv expands its offensive, having launched a new military assault to occupy Gaza City.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday warned of a “massive storm” about to strike Gaza, even as Hamas reiterated its readiness to release all captives if Israel clearly declared an end to the war.
Washington has put forward a new ceasefire and captive-prisoner-swap proposal, described by US President Donald Trump as a “last warning” for Hamas to accept terms he claimed Israel had already approved.
The Palestinian resistance group, however, accepted a Cairo- and Doha-brokered 60-day truce on 18 August, involving phased prisoner exchanges and expanded aid access.
Israel has yet to issue a formal reply, instead stepping up its assault on the Gaza Strip.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, underlined the urgency of a deal in a Washington Examiner op-ed last week, writing, “The ball is now in Israel’s court.”
He warned that Tel Aviv’s response would determine whether the conflict escalates or de-escalates.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed over 64,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
That toll includes over 380 starvation-related deaths in the famine-declared strip as Israel continues to choke aid flows; more than 2,300 people have been killed by the occupation forces near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution points and 17,000 injured.
Alongside Gaza, El-Sisi and Cooper reviewed wider regional flashpoints and bilateral defence ties.
On bilateral relations, Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said both sides reaffirmed Egyptian-American strategic ties, with President El-Sisi highlighting the upcoming “Bright Star 2025” exercises as a key example of ongoing defense cooperation.
El-Sisi emphasized Egypt’s continued intensive efforts to achieve de-escalation and sustainable tension reduction, paving the way for reviving the political process and achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
Cooper conveyed greetings from Trump, which El-Sisi welcomed, hailing the “depth of historic relations” between Cairo and Washington.
The meeting was attended by Egypt's Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Abdel-Meguid Saqr; US Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa; Senior Defense Official at the US Embassy and Defense Attaché, Colonel Jason Wimberly; and Senior Advisor to US CENTCOM Commander Gabrielle Lamport.
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