Shehbaz Sharif from Pakistan, PM Modi to send Kirti Vardhan: Who are 20 leaders to attend Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit?

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Egypt on Monday to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit. He will also participate in the signing ceremony of the peace agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

The 'Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit' is being hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. At the summit, the world leaders will discuss ways to bring lasting peace to war-torn Gaza as well as to the wider Middle East.

The 'Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit' will be co-chaired by al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump. It will be attended by nearly 20 other world leaders.

While Shehbaz Sharif will come from Pakistan to attend the summit, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will represent India at the crucial meet.

Sources told news agency PTI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for the summit. However, New Delhi deputed Singh to attend the summit.

Who else will attend the Egypt summit?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are among the leaders attending the summit.

"The summit will be co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries," an Egyptian readout said.

Here's the list of world leaders invited to, or are expected to attend, the summit – as cited by Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News channel and Youm7 news website:

1. US President Donald Trump

2. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

3. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

4. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

5. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

6. French President Emmanuel Macron

7. Jordanian King Abdullah II

8. Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

9. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

10. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto

11. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

12. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez

13. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

14. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

15. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

16. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

17. European Council President Antonio Costa

18. Indian minister Kirti Vardhan Singh

Will Israel PM, Hamas NOT attend Egypt Summit?

Several reports claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to attend the event at the moment.

No Israeli official will attend,” Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was quoted by Dawn as saying.

Meanwhile, Hamas also told AFP that it will not take part. The group said it will not participate in the formal signing of the Gaza peace treaty in Egypt, distancing itself from the summit.

Hamas officials have rejected a key element of Trump’s proposed 20-point roadmap for Gaza — the disarmament of the militant group.

What's the purpose of Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit?

"The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability," the Egyptian readout said.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza

The summit is taking place days after the first phase of President Trump's Gaza peace plan came into effect on Friday. It is expected that Hamas will release around 20 living hostages on Monday morning.

Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israeli cities on October 7, 2023 killing about 1,200 people. Hamas also took 251 people as hostages and over 50 of them are still in its captivity.

Israeli military operations have killed over 66,000 Palestinians since then, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Gaza has been reeling under a massive humanitarian crisis largely due to scarcity of food and medicines. The World Health Organisation said last month that Gaza's malnutrition rates have reached "alarming levels".