World leaders gather in Egypt to attend the “Gaza Summit for Peace” – National

The American and Egyptian presidents will chair a meeting of world leaders called the “Peace Summit” on Monday to support ending the war that has been ongoing for more than two years. Israel–agitation The war is on Gaza After hacking cease-fire deal.

There are no direct contacts between Israel and Hamas, and they are not expected to attend Monday’s summit. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said Benjamin Netanyahu I will not travel there because of a Jewish holiday.

Israel rejected any role for the internationally supported Palestinian Authority in Gaza. Mahmoud AbbasHe arrived at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh early Monday afternoon ahead of the meeting.

The summit comes as Hamas released 20 of the remaining Israeli hostages alive Israel began releasing hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, in decisive steps after the start of the ceasefire on Friday.

But key questions remain unanswered about what will happen next, raising the risk of sliding back into war – even as the world pushes toward peace.

New page

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi His office said that the summit aims to “end the war” in Gaza and “enter into a new page of peace and regional stability,” in line with the US President’s statements. Donald Trump vision.

The two sides were under pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey to agree on the first phase of the ceasefire that was negotiated in Qatar.

In March, Egypt proposed a post-war plan for Gaza that would allow its 2.3 million residents to stay. At the time, it was a counterproposal to Trump’s plan to depopulate the area.

The two leaders who co-chair the international summit signal that they are working together to move forward.

Before the meeting, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said it was also important for Israel and Hamas to fully implement the first phase of the deal so that the two parties, with international support, could begin negotiations on the second phase.

Trump’s success His vision for peace in the Middle East is his continued commitment to the processEgyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said that this includes exerting pressure on the parties, and participating and “even deploying on the ground” with the international forces expected to carry out peacekeeping missions in the next stage.

“We need American participation, and even deployment on the ground, to define the mission, mission and mandate of this force,” Abdel Aty told the Associated Press.

The remaining issues are unlikely to be addressed in depth during the meeting, which is expected to last about two hours. Sisi and Trump are expected to issue a joint statement after its conclusion.

Under the first phase, Israeli forces withdrew from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes from the areas they were forced to evacuate. Relief groups are preparing to bring in large amounts of aid that has been out of the area for months.

Critical challenges ahead

The negotiations must address the issues of disarming Hamas, the formation of a post-war government in Gaza, and the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. The Trump plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.

Abdel Ati said that the international force needs a resolution from the UN Security Council that supports its deployment and authorization as a peacekeeping force.

Another major issue is raising funds to rebuild Gaza. The World Bank and Egypt’s post-war plan estimate Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery needs at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host a reconstruction conference in the future.

Before agreeing to the truce, Israel and Hamas – arch enemies who mistrust each other and have a number of failed negotiations behind them – held negotiations in Doha, the capital of Qatar, through indirect talks, with Egypt and Qatar participating as mediators.

Iran, the main backer of Hamas, will also not attend the summit in Egypt as the Islamic Republic finds itself in one of its weakest moments since the 1979 revolution. Iranian officials portrayed the ceasefire agreement as a victory for Hamas.

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But the agreement highlighted Iran’s declining influence in the region and revived concerns about the possibility of renewed conflict with Israel at a time when it is still struggling to recover from a 12-day war in June.

State function

The summit in Egypt is likely to witness world leaders praising Trump’s ceasefire efforts. For his part, Sisi is almost certainly relieved to have abandoned plans to evacuate the Gaza Strip.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan It will be attended by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Türkiye, which has hosted Hamas political leaders for years, played a key role in reaching the ceasefire agreement.

King Abdullah The Jordanian is among the expected attendees. His country, along with Egypt, will train the new Palestinian security force.

Germany, one of Israel’s strongest international backers and the largest supplier of military equipment, intends to be represented by the chancellor Friedrich Merz. He expressed his concern about Israel’s behavior in the war and its plan for military control of Gaza.

The Prime Minister of Britain is Keir Starmer Among the leaders present. He said he would pledge 20 million pounds ($27 million) to help provide water and sanitation to Gaza, and said Britain would host a three-day conference to coordinate Gaza’s reconstruction and revitalization plans.

The conference will be attended by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, European Union President Antonio Costa, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The place

Sharm El Sheikh, the Red Sea resort at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has hosted several peace negotiations in recent decades.

Israel briefly occupied the city for a year in 1956. After Israel withdrew, a UN peacekeeping force was stationed there until 1967, when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the peacekeepers to leave, a move that precipitated the outbreak of the Six-Day War that year.

Sharm el-Sheikh and the rest of the Sinai Peninsula were returned to Egypt in 1982, following the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Although it is now more known for its luxury beach resorts, dive sites and desert tours, Sharm El Sheikh has also hosted numerous peace conferences and negotiating rounds between Israel and the Palestinians under President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in 2011, as well as other international conferences.

Monday’s gathering is the first peace summit under Sisi.

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