Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty, a key mediator in efforts to halt the Gaza war, said on Saturday that portraying the displacement of Palestinians as voluntary is “nonsense.”
“If there is a manmade famine in Gaza, it is to push residents out of their land. It is nonsense to say this is voluntary displacement,” Abdelatty told a joint press conference with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
His remarks followed a fresh Israeli call for Gaza City residents to head south as Israeli forces advanced deeper into the enclave’s largest urban area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed allowing Palestinians in Gaza to leave “voluntarily” and suggested other countries should accept them. His office said on Friday he was referring to the right of individuals to choose where to live, particularly in wartime.
Abdelatty said he spoke on Friday with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff about stepping up efforts to implement the latest ceasefire proposal, and he blamed what he called Israeli intransigence for delays in reaching a deal.
Hamas in August accepted a 60-day truce plan that included returning half of the hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners, according to Egyptian officials. An Egyptian source said the offer also entailed a suspension of Israeli military operations for 60 days and a framework toward a comprehensive agreement to end the nearly two-year conflict.
Netanyahu said days later that Israel would resume talks on freeing all hostages and ending the war, but only on terms acceptable to Israel.