Text: Badr Abdel Ati on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan”, October 12, 2025

Below is the transcript of the interview with Badr Abdel Aty, Egyptian Foreign Minister, which was broadcast on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on October 12, 2025.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, who joins us this morning from Cairo. Welcome to Face the Nation.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty: I am pleased to be with you, Margaret. Thank you so much for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So President Trump is heading to Egypt. I know that he will meet with President Sisi tomorrow in Sharm El-Sheikh to discuss this agreement regarding Gaza. But everything seems to depend on the release of the hostages and the conclusion of the first phase. From what you know and hear from Hamas, will these hostages be released within the next 24 hours?

Badr Abdel Aty: Well, we are confident that the first phase of the Trump peace plan will be implemented, and will be respected by all parties, as we move forward. We very much hope that the first phase will be completed, in all sincerity on both sides, and we are in full contact with the Palestinians, with Hamas, because of course it is all about releasing the hostages, and for Israel, releasing some Palestinian detainees, returning some – I mean the bodies of those who died, but that will take some time to collect the remains, of course, and allow all the humanitarian aid to flow. Providing unhindered aid to Gaza, in order to deal with the current famine in Gaza.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The Vice President, which you just heard, said that President Trump has convinced a number of countries to send ground troops to go into Gaza. Will Egypt send ground forces to Gaza?

Badr Abdel Aty: Well, part of the deal relates, of course, to the issue of security arrangements, and we are working at different levels. First, there are some Palestinians in Gaza. They will be trained and deployed in Gaza. We are now in the process of providing training and coordination with Jordan to train up to 5,000 Palestinians to be deployed in Gaza as well. The deployment of international force is on the table. We support this idea, of course, and there are some countries that have expressed their willingness to deploy forces to contribute to the forces on the ground. We must now work on going to the Security Council, of course, to approve the proposal, as well as defining the main mission of these forces on the ground.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But Indonesia’s leader is already committed to sending 20,000 troops. Will Egypt send troops? Do you have a number?

Badr Abdel Ati: We will support and send forces within specific criteria. And as I mentioned, we have to have a mandate from the Security Council to endorse it and, of course, you know, define the mission of the forces on the ground, which will be peacekeeping, and how to provide training to the Palestinian policeman in order to do that mission, and law enforcement on the ground. And of course, defining the entire mission, and for how long, because it will be transitional, to help the Palestinians assume their four responsibilities, and to tell us that we have reached the achievement of a Palestinian state on the ground.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re committing there to a Palestinian state. The President of the United States has used more ambiguous language, and when I pressed the Secretary of State on this point last weekend, he said: “This is a long way off in the future.” In your opinion, how long will it take before the Palestinians rule Gaza and we see a state?

Badr Abdel Aty: Well, what is very urgent now is, of course, to end this war on innocent civilians in Gaza, and to provide enough food and medicine for the people there. Then we have to move forward with regard to early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza. And of course, talking about issues related to governance and security arrangements in Gaza. Of course, from our point of view, the final, final and comprehensive solution will be the establishment of a Palestinian state. Because without that, we are confident that we have to draw the lessons of the past, that without resolving the Palestinian issue, which is the core of the conflict in the region, and without respecting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to establish their own state, you know, there will be no peace and stability in the region. Trump’s peace plan refers to the state. Of course, 144 countries voted in favor of a two-state solution in New York recently. So this is a game in the city.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, again, this seems like it’s going to take a lot of time. I want to come back to the issue of security, because it is essential for rebuilding, and I share with you some of the UN assessments here. The United Nations says that 92% of housing units in Gaza are destroyed or damaged. Nearly 92% of schools will require complete rebuilding or rehabilitation. 77% of the total road network was damaged. 86% of the total agricultural land was destroyed. How much will this cost and where will this money come from?

Badr Abdel Aty: Well, first, we have full confidence in President Trump’s leadership and vision for peace. He is the only person who can end the war and open a new chapter in the Middle East, a chapter of hope, prosperity and peace for all peoples, including, of course, the Israeli people, the Palestinians and all the peoples of our region. So we value him very much, we drive him, and we fully support his vision and leadership. This one. Secondly, we are working hard now regarding holding an international conference in cooperation between Egypt and the United States, as well as with many partners, including Germany, the European Union, France, Italy, Spain, Qatar, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Japan, and everyone is ready to participate in this conference for the reconstruction and redevelopment of Gaza, and it will be a combination of the Arab and Islamic plan for reconstruction and the Trump peace. He plans. So today I met with the Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, Tom Fletcher, and we are now working hard to get the final assessment report. on me–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we will look to release that number in the future, Mr. Secretary of State, I should leave it there for now. Good luck with the conference. We will be back right away.