ISLAMABAD: The Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh will host an international summit on Monday to mark the official signing of the Gaza peace agreement, diplomatic sources confirmed.
The summit will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, and attended by leaders and foreign ministers from across the Arab and Western world.
The event will formalize the American-brokered plan to end months of devastating conflict in Gaza, paving the way for large-scale humanitarian aid, prisoner exchanges, and reconstruction efforts under international supervision.
Egypt’s Key Role in Mediating the Gaza Truce
According to diplomatic sources, Egypt has invited senior representatives from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia, among others. The participation of these nations reflects a growing global consensus on the need for sustained peace and regional stability following two years of war in Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, on Saturday to discuss the upcoming summit and broader regional coordination. Both ministers exchanged views on recent developments in Gaza and the wider Middle East. Dr. Abdelatty extended an official invitation to Dar to attend the summit and witness the signing ceremony.
Regional Diplomacy Ahead of Signing Ceremony
Foreign Minister Dar also held a separate call with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, discussing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the role of Arab-Islamic countries in supporting a durable peace.
After Qatar, Egypt has emerged as a leading mediator in efforts to end the war, hosting several rounds of indirect talks with Hamas and other stakeholders over the past months. The Sharm el-Sheikh summit marks the culmination of those efforts — and a critical test of whether international guarantees can secure lasting calm across the region.
A senior Hamas official said Saturday that a prisoner exchange with Israel could begin as early as Monday, marking the first tangible step under the recently brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement.
“The prisoner swap might start on Monday,” Mousa Abou Marzouq said in a televised interview, adding that Hamas would not militarize or publicly celebrate the handover of captives.
The first phase of the ceasefire, effective from 12:00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) Friday, is part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan. According to documents published by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Hamas must release all living Israeli captives within 72 hours of Israel ratifying the agreement.
The deal also requires Hamas to share details on deceased captives with a joint mechanism involving Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Israeli estimates suggest 48 captives remain in Gaza — including about 20 believed alive — while more than 11,100 Palestinians languish in Israeli prisons, reportedly enduring torture, starvation, and medical neglect.
