Kings, diplomats, prime ministers and presidents from at least 27 different countries converged upon the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh Monday for the “Summit for Peace” to herald what everyone hopes is the end of the war in Gaza.
President Trump and Egyptian President Al-Sissi chaired the feted gathering, which also featured prominent international figures such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The goal of the summit is to beef up plans to stabilize the war-torn Gaza Strip and make sure that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds.
“What we need to do now is to fixate the ceasefire, make sure that it maintains and sustains, that we can deliver all of the remaining bodies of the deceased to their families, and this is very important, to bring in more humanitarian assistance into the [Gaza] Strip,” Al-Sissi told Trump during their one on one, per a translation.
Absent from the summit is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Trump made sure was invited. The prime minister’s office claimed he was “unable to attend due to time constraints ahead of the start of the holiday.”
Multiple reports indicate that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Al-Sissi that he would turn his plane around if the Israeli PM was welcomed to the peace summit.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has openly talked about working with Trump on the peace plan, was in attendance.
Other regional leaders who attended include: Erdogan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, United Arab Emirates Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The “Summit for Peace” comes on the heels of Trump’s rousing address to the Knesset, where he received a hero’s welcome.
Earlier in the day, Hamas released the 20 living Israeli hostages it held in captivity. Hamas had accepted the peace plan championed by Trump last Wednesday and the Israeli cabinet formally approved a day later.
The ceasefire between the two sides has been in place since Friday morning of last week. Ramped-up truckloads of humanitarian aid have also poured into the beleaguered Gaza Strip.
In addition to the regional leaders, top European officials also participated in the peace summit, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and European Council President Antonio Costa also attended the gathering.
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