‘Middle East Peace Plan’ summit in Egypt: 20+ nations to join meet led by Donald Trump & Sisi; Israel, Hamas to skip
A peace summit in Egypt on October 13 will gather global leaders, including Trump and Guterres, to seek an end to the war and enhance regional security. Hamas plans to release Israeli hostages; however, unlikely to attend, including Israel as per reports.
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi are scheduled to lead a Gaza peace summit alongside several global leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, October 13. Israel, which agreed to the phase one of the peace plan, is unlikely to attend, according to Axios, including Palestinian militant group Hamas to skip it, AFP reported citing a senior leader.
According to the Egyptian presidency, the meeting will occur Monday afternoon in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh “with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries", focussing on “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”, AFP report noted.
Who all will attend Middle East Plan Summit?
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, confirmed he will attend, along with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, will also participate.
Is Hamas going to attend Middle East Plan Summit?
Hossam Badran, a Hamas political bureau member informed AFP that the Palestinian militant group “will not be involved” as it "acted principally through... Qatari and Egyptian mediators" during earlier discussions on Gaza.
When will Hamas release Israeli hostages held in Gaza?
A senior official from the Palestinian militant group Hamas also told AFP that they will start releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza on Monday morning, ahead of Trump's summit in Egypt. "According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed," Hamas official Osama Hamdan said.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement: What did Trump say?
"It is a great deal for Israel, but it's a great deal for everybody, for Arabs, for Muslims, everybody, for the world. On Monday, the hostages come back. They're in some pretty rough places under Earth. Only a few people know where they are... They're also getting approximately 28 bodies. Some of those bodies are being unearthed right now as we speak. It's a tragedy. I'll be going to Israel. I'll be speaking at the Knesset. Then I'm also going to Egypt. Everybody wants this deal to happen," ANI quoted Trump as saying at the White House.
He added, “I think Gaza is going to be rebuilt. There are some very wealthy countries there. It would take a small fraction of their wealth to do that. Gaza is very important, but this is beyond Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East. It is a beautiful thing.”
Israel-Hamas war
Meanwhile, over 67,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, havereportedly died in Israel’s attack on Gaza. The conflict started when Hamas launched an incursion into Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
The negotiations, facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with involvement from US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, led to the truce and reportedly a subsequent boost in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
(With inputs from agencies)