SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt: The US and Egyptian presidents are chairing a gathering of world leaders dubbed “Summit for Peace” on Monday to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal.
US President Donald Trump left Israel on Monday after a brief visit and arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, where he is co-chairing a summit on Gaza.
During his visit to Israel, Trump addressed Israel’s parliament and hailed what he called the end of a “painful nightmare” for Israelis and Palestinians under a ceasefire deal he helped broker.
Israel and Hamas have no direct contacts and were not expected to attend Monday’s summit.
Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday afternoon, ahead of the gathering.
The summit comes as Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, crucial steps under the ceasefire that began on Friday.
But major questions remain unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of a slide back into war — even as the world pushes for peace.
President Donald J. Trump arrives in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the second leg of his trip ahead of the Peace Summit. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/tT8POxnlip
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 13, 2025
Pakistan PM arrives in Egypt
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump’s role in brokering the landmark Gaza peace agreement, calling it a decisive step toward ending years of bloodshed and paving the way for a lasting peace in the Middle East.
In a post on the social media platform X after arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh to attend the deal’s signing ceremony, Sharif expressed gratitude to co-hosts Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President Trump, crediting the American leader’s “outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment” for bringing the warring sides to an agreement.
“Grateful to our co-hosts, President El Sisi and President Trump. We would not have seen this moment without President Trump’s outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment,” Sharif said. “It took his single-minded pursuit of peace to end the needless killing and destruction,” he wrote.
Prime Minister @CMShehbaz has reaffirmed Pakistan’s unflinching solidarity with the people of Palestine and its continued diplomatic and moral support to them@PakPMO @ForeignOfficePk #RadioPakistan #News #PMinEgypt https://t.co/N4CC0jW3cx pic.twitter.com/npWic7wBd9
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) October 13, 2025
The Pakistani leader described the accord as the “closing of a genocidal chapter” in Gaza’s history and urged the international community to ensure such atrocities “are never repeated anywhere again.”
“Today’s ceremony marks the closing of a genocidal chapter, one that the international community must ensure is never repeated anywhere again,” he added.
‘New page of peace and regional stability’
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said the summit aims to “end the war” in Gaza and “usher in a new page of peace and regional stability” in line with Trump’s vision.
In Israel, Trump urged the country’s lawmakers to work toward peace. To the Palestinians, he said it was time to concentrate on rebuilding after the two year Israeli bombing has turned Gaza intro ruins.
Israel and Hamas came under pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Turkiye to agree on the ceasefire’s first phase negotiated in Qatar, through mediators.
Ahead of the gathering, Egypt’s foreign minister said it was also crucial that Israel and Hamas fully implement the first phase of the deal so that the parties, with international backing, can begin negotiations on the second phase.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the success of Trump’s vision for Mideast peace will depend on his continued commitment to the process, including applying pressure on the parties, engagement and “even deployment on the ground,” with international forces expected to carry out peacekeeping duties in the next phase.
“We need American engagement, even deployment on the ground, to identify the mission, task and mandate of this force,” Abdelatty told The Associated Press.
Under the first phase, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home from areas they were forced to evacuate. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.
Critical challenges ahead
The next phase of the deal will have to tackle disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the territory.
Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.
Abdelatty said the international force needs a UN Security Council resolution to endorse its deployment and mandate as a peacekeeping force.
He said Hamas will have no role in the transitional period in Gaza. A 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, with no affiliation to any Palestinian factions and vetted by Israel, will govern day-to-day affairs in Gaza.
The committee would receive support and supervision from the “Board of Peace” proposed by Trump to oversee the implementation of the phases of his plan, Abdelatty said.
“We are counting on Trump to keep the implementation of this plan for all its phases,” he told AP.
Another major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank, and Egypt’s post war plan, estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host a future reconstruction conference.
