Egyptian diplomatic sources shared details Friday morning with Al-Akhbar newspaper regarding Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty's United States visit. According to these sources, the senior minister is working to promote a "dual proposal" throughout Washington and New York, under which Hamas would surrender its weaponry in return for momentum toward Palestinian state establishment.
Additionally, the sources reported that Abdelatty will present this approach during his meetings with Republican and Democratic party decision-makers. Nevertheless, the sources conveyed that Cairo harbors significant and escalating concerns regarding a potential Israeli initiative to annex portions of the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian sources informed the Lebanese newspaper, regarded as Hamas-affiliated, that ongoing contacts among relevant parties, facilitated through mediators, are designed to secure ceasefire agreements and establish pathways for post-war planning.
An Egyptian diplomat traveling with Abdelatty in the United States explained that "the core of the current crisis manifests in the constrained impact of international pressure on American decision-making. Specifically, Washington maintains its position defending Israeli policy, even while expressing partial objections to certain measures and offering criticism concerning humanitarian dimensions."
The Egyptian source continued that simultaneously, Cairo "seeks to leverage available maneuvering space to secure maximum political achievements through coordination with its Doha partners."
Witkoff met with Netanyahu and arrived in Rafah
Concurrently, Jerusalem is recalibrating hostage negotiation strategies following Hamas' position hardening after European Palestinian state recognition and the orchestrated starvation campaign's effectiveness. During a Wednesday meeting exceeding two hours between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy Steve Witkoff, characterized as "very positive," war escalation plans were set aside while they explored proposals for conflict termination in exchange for comprehensive hostage return.
Israeli-American consensus is developing around transitioning from partial to comprehensive frameworks for complete hostage liberation, Hamas disarmament, and Strip demilitarization. Hamas "shut the door" on previous arrangements and rejected the new framework, asserting it would not relinquish weapons until Palestinian rights are restored and independent statehood is achieved. During his Israeli visit, Witkoff incorporated Strip aid distribution facility tours into his itinerary, coinciding with American approval of a $30 million assistance package.
A Hamas senior official condemned the American envoy before his Strip visit, declaring "a propaganda spectacle intended to suppress mounting fury over American-Israeli collaboration in starving Gaza inhabitants." Hamas additionally charged that "Witkoff observes Gaza exclusively through occupation-filtered perspectives, witnessing tragedy via Israeli viewpoints. He certainly will not observe the so-called 'Humanitarian Foundation' operations. White House acknowledgment of Gaza starvation following its denial, without condemning the occupation perpetrating this crime, constitutes criminal exoneration."
