Abdel Fattah al-Sissi proposed two days of truce on Sunday in order to free four hostages in the Gaza Strip against Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The Egyptian president said his country had proposed a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, during which four hostages held in Gaza would be released.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, speaking in Cairo, said the proposal also included the release of some Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Egypt played a key mediating role with Qatar and the United States. This is the first time that the Egyptian president has publicly proposed such a plan.
Israel and Hamas did not immediately react.
At the same time, an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people in the Shati refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip, left at least eleven dead, according to local authorities.
Distressed people tried to identify their loved ones among the bodies found in the destroyed Asmaa school, while others dug through the rubble in search of survivors.
Israel has struck a number of schools-turned-shelters in Gaza during the year-long conflict, saying it specifically targets militants hiding among civilians,
The strikes often kill women and children.
Humanitarian groups have warned of a catastrophic situation in the region, with Israel severely restricting the entry of basic humanitarian aid in recent weeks.
The three remaining hospitals in the north – one of which was raided over the weekend – say they have been overwhelmed by waves of injured people.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 42,847 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed in the Israeli offensive.