Sameh Shoukry has said that a “political will” is needed to reach a ceasefire during the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas — with Egypt and Qatar acting as mediators, Al Jazeera reports.

“There are moderate proposals that meet the purposes for both parties that should be approved so that there would be a truce, a hostages-prisoners swap deal, to handle the difficult humanitarian situation, and prevent any continuation of the displacement,” Shoukry said during a news conference with visiting Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon.

Fajon said that every effort should be made to prevent further escalation in Rafah and to reopen border crossings.