Egyptian foreign minister on hostage release and committing to a Palestinian state

(CBS, KYMA) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the hostage release.

According to Brennan, President Donald Trump is heading to Egypt to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss the agreement about Gaza, but she said, "Everything seems dependent on this hostage release and the conclusion of phase one."

This prompted her to ask Abdelatty if the hostages will be released in the next 24 hours, to which he said:

"We are confident that the first phase of the Trump peace plan will be implemented, will be honored by all parts concerns, and we are moving ahead. We are very hopeful that the first phase will be completed, in all honesty from the two parties, and we are in full contact with the Palestinians, with the Hamas, because it's all about, of course, releasing the hostages, and for Israel, releasing some of the Palestinian detainees, returning back some...I mean, the bodies of the those who passed away, but that will take time to collect the remains, of course, and to allow the flow of all humanitarian assistance to Gaza without impediments, in order to deal with current famine and starvation in Gaza."

During the interview, Brennan and Abdelatty talked about committing to a Palestinian state, with Brennan asking how long he thinks it's going to take before Palestinians rule Gaza and if we will see a state, and Abdelatty said:

"What's very urgent now is, of course, ending this war on the innocent civilians in Gaza, provide as much as food and medicine to the people there. And then we have to move forward with regard to the early recovery and reconstructions of Gaza. And of course, talking about issues related to the governance and the security arrangement in Gaza. And of course, from our point of view, the endgame, the final, comprehensive solution will be the realization of the Palestinian state. Because without that, we are confident through we have to draw lessons from the past, that without solving the Palestinian cause, which is the core of the conflict in the region, without respecting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to have their own statehood, you know, there is no peace and stability in the region. And the Trump peace plan, it refers to the statehood. And of course, 144 countries voted in favor of the two-state solution in New York recently. So this is a game on town."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Abdelatty, click here.