Egypt’s presidency said Saturday night that it will host a global “Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit” on Monday, co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump.
The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability, according to the State Information Service.
Hamas political bureau member Hossam Badran told AFP that “Hamas will not be participating” in Monday’s signing in Egypt, which he said would be limited to “mediators and US and Israeli officials.”
The presidency framed the summit “in light of President Donald Trump’s vision for achieving peace in the region and his relentless pursuit of ending conflicts around the world.”
Last Thursday, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed the first phase of a US-proposed Gaza agreement. The Israeli military then said it had completed withdrawing its vehicles as the deal took effect at noon Friday, and issued guidance urging Palestinians to avoid friction with Israeli forces stationed along Gaza’s southern, eastern and northern borders.
The exchange deal includes the release of 250 Palestinian detainees serving long sentences or life terms and 1,700 detainees from Gaza arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, including 22 minors. Even after the exchange, about 9,000 Palestinians will remain in Israeli prisons.
Trump said Wednesday Oct. 8 that he might travel to the Middle East, specifically Egypt, adding, “I may head there at the end of the week, maybe Sunday,” after President El-Sisi invited him to attend the signing of the agreement to end the Gaza war.
Indirect talks between Israeli negotiators and Hamas began Monday Oct. 6 and made some progress. Several rounds included Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkish and Egyptian intelligence chiefs Ibrahim Kalin and Hassan Rashad, Netanyahu’s senior adviser, Ron Dermer, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Among those confirming attendance at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit are UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. No announcement has been made on the participation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sky News Arabia cited informed sources Saturday saying 25 leaders, presidents and representatives of international and regional organizations will attend, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, noting that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is among those invited.
In a related development, three staff members from the Qatari Amiri Diwan were killed, and two others injured in a tragic traffic accident on Saturday evening near Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, while on duty.
The Qatari Embassy in Cairo expressed deep sorrow for the deaths of Saud bin Thamer Al-Thani, Abdullah Ghanem Al-Khayarin, and Hassan Jaber Al-Jaber. The embassy is monitoring the condition of the injured, Abdullah Issa Al-Kuwari and Muhammad Abdulaziz Al-Buainain, who are receiving necessary medical care at Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital. The deceased and injured are scheduled to be transported back to Doha on Sunday.
According to two security sources, the Qatari delegation was traveling to participate in the international peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh aimed at finalizing the agreement to end the war in Gaza.
However, an unnamed Egyptian security source clarified that the three fatalities were non-diplomatic embassy staff whose task was logistical preparation for the Qatari delegation.
They were not involved in the actual negotiations but were preparing for the signing ceremony of the Gaza ceasefire agreement scheduled for Monday. The accident occurred on the Tunnel Road in the city of El-Tor, 50km from Sharm El-Sheikh.
