Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has said his country was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip but that it was waiting for a response on the proposal from Israel and Hamas, AFP reports.

“There is a proposal on the table (and it’s) up to the two sides to consider and accept,” Sameh Shoukry said in Riyadh at the World Economic Forum.

“We are hopeful,” he added, explaining that “the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides and has tried to extract moderation”.

“We are waiting to have a final decision. There are factors that will have an impact on both side’s decisions, but I hope that all will rise to the occasion.”

Shoukry was speaking on a panel in Riyadh with Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who said the conflict in Gaza had turned “Israel into a pariah state”.