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U.S. President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will jointly lead an international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday aimed at ending the war in Gaza and establishing a new framework for Middle East stability, the Egyptian presidency announced Saturday.
The gathering, dubbed the "Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit," will convene leaders from more than 20 countries Monday afternoon to address the Gaza conflict and broader regional security concerns, according to the Egyptian statement.
Among those confirmed to attend are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's participation remains uncertain, with no immediate confirmation from Israeli officials. Hamas has explicitly ruled out attending the summit.
"We will not be involved," Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau, told AFP in an interview. He said the Palestinian group has historically "acted principally through... Qatari and Egyptian mediators" during previous negotiations.
The Egyptian presidency said the summit aligns with Trump's stated commitment to achieving peace in the region and ending global conflicts.
The gathering comes days after Trump announced on Oct. 9 that Israel and Hamas had approved the first phase of a ceasefire plan following negotiations in Egypt. The agreement, which received Israeli government approval, took effect at 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 10 after Israeli military withdrew to positions specified in the deal as the "yellow line."
The ceasefire followed nearly 13 months of conflict that began Oct. 8, 2023, when Israeli military launched operations in Gaza. According to official figures, 67,682 people were killed and 170,033 wounded, mostly civilians, in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip between that date and the implementation of the ceasefire.
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