"This will save lives," the White House said in a statement, adding that the Egyptian leader's commitment came during a phone call with Biden. In the same statement, the White House said that Biden was "fully committed" to securing the reopening of Rafah, another strategic crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border.

Israel, which is continuing military operations in Rafah, took control of the crossing in early May and has imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid.

The Egyptian and US leaders also discussed today "renewed efforts to secure the immediate release of the hostages and establish an immediate, durable ceasefire" in the Palestinian enclave.

After more than seven months of war, the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory remains alarming.

The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the Islamist group Hamas's attack on Israeli soil on 7 October 2023, which caused about 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.

On that day, 252 people were also taken hostage and sent to the Palestinian territory. Currently, 121 people remain detained in Gaza, of whom 37 are already dead, according to the Tel Aviv army.

In response, the Israeli military launched a devastating offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas, classified as a "terrorist organisation" by Israel, the European Union and the United States, took power in 2007.

At least 35,800 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians, have been killed and about 80,000 injured, according to data from the local Ministry of Health, overseen by Hamas.

The Israeli retaliation is causing a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more than 1.1 million people in a "catastrophic hunger situation" that is already claiming victims - "the highest number ever recorded" by the UN in food security studies in the world.

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