Egypt is working for reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip which will provide for an increase in humanitarian aid entering there and the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern part of the enclave, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said today.

Sisi also warned of the risk of an Israeli raid on the town of Rafahnear Gaza’s border with Egypt, where an estimated 1.5 million people have sought refuge.

Aid officials have warned that much of the Palestinian enclave is at risk of starvation.

“We are talking about achieving a truce in Gaza, which means a truce, providing the maximum amount of aid,” the Egyptian president said in a message during his visit to a military academy.

The truce “will limit the effects of famine on residents, while allowing people in the central and southern parts (of the Gaza Strip) to move north, with a very strong warning against a raid on Rafah,” he added.

“We warned about what is happening, that if aid does not enter (Gaza), it will lead to famine,” Sisi stressed.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the US, is trying to mediate between Israel and Hamas in order to reach a ceasefire agreement and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Yesterday Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry asked Israel to open land crossings to Gaza in order for more humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.

With the war now in its sixth month, the UN has warned that at least 576,000 Gazans are on the brink of starvation, while international pressure is mounting on Israel to allow more aid into the enclave.