Egypt says Israel rejected all recent cease-fire proposals outright

Egypt confirmed in a Wednesday report that Israel has rejected all of its recent proposals put forward for a deal between Israel and Hamas, amid attempts by mediators to relaunch negotiations between the two sides as Israel once again pounds the devastated enclave.

Egyptian sources told London-based daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Israel is using the talks as cover to implement the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. “There are attempts to embarrass Cairo through an Israeli plan aimed at advancing the forced displacement agenda,” one of the sources said.

All proposals presented by Egypt in recent days have failed, largely due to a lack of support from Washington, the outlet reported — including a truce initiative that Hamas accepted.

“The U.S. administration has refused to provide any guarantees about applying pressure on the Israeli prime minister,” the source said. One such proposal, which called for a humanitarian pause during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, was reportedly rejected by American envoy Steve Witkoff, who has blamed Hamas for the resumption of the war.

Egypt could lose American economic support if it refuses to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, a message conveyed to Cairo from the president of the United Arab Emirates has indicated.

Egyptian diplomatic sources revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s brief visit to Cairo over the weekend included discussions the UAE leader had with American officials on Gaza, where Israel resumed its offensive last week.