Flags of several countries flutter as a US military plane prepares to land in Sharm El-Sheikh (AFP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his American counterpart Donald Trump are expected to co-chair an international summit in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh to implement the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the US. The summit and its side meetings will rally significant international support to uphold the ceasefire, continue humanitarian aid, rebuild Gaza, and establish a political horizon for resolving the Palestinian issue, in addition to consolidating regional peace.

Cautious optimism prevails over the summit preparations, hoped to strengthen guarantees for implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement and dispel fears of Israel returning to war. Besides El-Sisi and Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he will visit Egypt on Monday. Confirmed attendees include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and several regional leaders, while Israel’s attendance remains unclear.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed details of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit arrangements in a phone call Friday evening. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said the ministers discussed international participation in the summit and arrangements for implementing the first phase of the Gaza agreement to ceasefire and end the war. In a phone call with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides, the Egyptian president stressed the need to deploy international forces in Gaza and grant international legitimacy to the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement through the UN Security Council. El-Sisi emphasized the importance of ending the war, releasing hostages and detainees, securing humanitarian aid entry, and starting Gaza’s reconstruction.

El-Sisi also stressed the full implementation of the agreement’s terms, noting Egypt’s continuous efforts over the past two years, coordinated with Qatar and the US, to end the war and alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.

French President Macron will visit Egypt tomorrow to express “his support for implementing the agreement presented by Trump to end the war in Gaza.” The French presidency said Macron will discuss “with his partners the next stages of implementing the peace plan,” without clarifying if he will meet the US president, who will also travel to Egypt. The visit to Sharm El-Sheikh “is part of continuing the French-Saudi initiative and what was done in New York last September to apply a peace and security plan for all in the Middle East, based on a two-state solution.”

US President Trump announced at a Washington press conference that he will meet “many leaders” in Egypt on Monday to discuss Gaza’s future. He said he expects to speak before the Israeli Knesset before his visit to Egypt and will return to the US on Tuesday. He stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement “will hold. They (Hamas and Israel) are all tired of fighting.”

As preparations continue for Trump’s visit to Israel, an airbase near Tel Aviv is ready to receive six US military cargo planes. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that these planes are typically used for strategic and tactical transport, including moving troops and military equipment worldwide, reflecting the high-profile nature of the upcoming visit.

Meanwhile, Israeli media highlighted Egypt’s growing role in the peace process, describing it as “in a state of euphoria,” while Israel seems “on the sidelines.” The newspaper Israel Hayom confirmed the Egyptian summit as a crowning achievement of Cairo’s role as a leading regional power that succeeded in stabilizing the truce and shaping the subsequent humanitarian and political arrangements. The newspaper revealed that Trump plans to announce the so-called “grand deal” during his upcoming regional visit, where he will participate in the Sharm El-Sheikh summit called by El-Sisi to discuss Gaza’s future after the ceasefire agreement, noting that Israel was not invited despite the summit being held one day after Trump’s visit to Tel Aviv and his speech before the Knesset. (Agencies)