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The administration of United States President Joe Biden has said it will provide Egypt with $1.3bn in military assistance, overriding concerns about ongoing rights abuses by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Normally, part of that aid would be subject to conditions requiring Egypt to implement improvements to its human rights record. But on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress that the military assistance would not face the usual conditions.

A spokesperson for the US State Department later explained that those requirements were waived in the name of national security.

“This decision is important to advancing regional peace and Egypt’s specific and ongoing contributions to US national security priorities, particularly to finalise a ceasefire agreement for Gaza, bring the hostages home, surge humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in need, and help bring an enduring end to the Israel-Hamas conflict,” the spokesperson told the news outlet Reuters.

Egypt, an important US ally in the Middle East, has played a key role in ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, as leaders seek an end to the war in Gaza.

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