Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi are set to chair a high-profile Gaza peace summit on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, bringing together leaders from more than 20 countries to address the conflict in the region.
The Egyptian presidency said the meeting aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability.” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, and France’s Emmanuel Macron are all confirmed attendees. It remains unclear whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend, and Hamas has stated it will not participate.
The summit follows an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas, achieved after intensive indirect negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh over recent days. The talks, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, involved US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and paved the way for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The conflict, which erupted after a Hamas-led incursion into Israel, has claimed more than 67,000 Palestinian lives, most of them civilians, while 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 251 taken hostage.
Tragically, the summit comes after a road accident on Saturday that killed three Qatari diplomats and injured two others in Sharm el-Sheikh, security sources told Reuters.
As the ceasefire took effect, thousands of Palestinians began returning to their homes in northern Gaza, traveling on foot, in cars, and by cart, surveying the destruction left behind. “It is an indescribable feeling; praise be to God,” said Nabila Basa, walking with her daughter, who had suffered a head wound during the fighting.
For many, the devastation is total. “My house, which I built 40 years ago, was gone in a moment,” said Ahmed al-Jabari, standing amid rubble in Gaza City. “I’m happy that there is no blood, no killing (but) where will we go? Will we live 20 years in a tent?”
