Egypt is hosting on Monday afternoon in Sharm El-Sheikh a peace summit on Gaza chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, with leaders from more than twenty countries and UN Secretary-General António Guterres participating.

Ending the War in Gaza

The Egyptian presidency announced on Saturday, the second day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, that the summit aims to “end the war in the Gaza Strip and enhance efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East region and open a new chapter of regional security and stability.”

Leaders Attending the Summit

In addition to Guterres, several leaders announced their participation, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. French President Emmanuel Macron will come to Egypt to affirm “his support for implementing the agreement proposed by President Trump to end the war in Gaza,” and will hold talks “with his partners about the next stages of implementing the peace plan,” according to the Élysée Palace.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will participate in the summit, which “represents a historic turning point for the region after two years of conflict and bloodshed.” Also attending are Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and President of the European Council António Costa. In Brussels, an EU official said Sunday that European Council President António Costa will attend the Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit in Egypt on Monday. Meanwhile, a German government spokesperson said in a statement Sunday that Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Egypt on Monday to participate in the signing ceremony of the Gaza ceasefire plan. The statement added, “Germany will commit to implementing the peace plan, initially focusing on maintaining a stable ceasefire and providing humanitarian aid. The Chancellor will reaffirm this commitment during his trip tomorrow.”

Informed sources reported that the Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit, scheduled for next Monday, will see the attendance of 25 leaders, presidents, and representatives of international and regional organizations. Among the expected attendees, in addition to the leaders mentioned above who confirmed their attendance, are Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sources noted that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is among the invitees to the summit.

Hamas announced it will not participate in the official signing of the agreement. Hamas Political Bureau member Hossam Badran told AFP that “Hamas will not participate” in the signing process, which will be limited to “mediators and American and Israeli officials.” No announcement has yet been made regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation in the summit.

Text of the Agreement on Gaza

The agreement stipulates the exchange of the remaining 47 hostages in Gaza out of 251 kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attack, in addition to the remains of a hostage held in 2014, by 9:00 GMT on Monday.

In return, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 detainees from Gaza held since the outbreak of the war. The war broke out following an unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally prepared by AFP based on official Israeli figures. The Israeli military campaign has killed at least 67,682 people, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in Gaza, figures considered reliable by the United Nations.