Trump arrives in Egypt for Gaza peace summit with other world leaders, including Carney

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David Michael Lamb

What's expected at the Egypt summit on the future of Gaza?

Trump is now on his way to the peace summit in Sharm-el Sheikh. The event will be brief as it is supposed to wrap up later tonight, when Trump heads back to the U.S., but there is a lot for world leaders to discuss in that short time.

The summit is being hosted by Trump and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. At the heart of the discussions is Trump’s 20-point plan that is the basis for the current ceasefire and the end of the war in Gaza.

Much of that plan still has to be shaped and implemented.

It says Gaza will need a new day-to-day governing structure that does not include Hamas. An international stabilization force will also be sent in, and a plan (including funding) will have to be developed to rebuild the territory, much of which has been destroyed. Details on exactly how this happens, and how quickly, have not been laid out.

All of this unfolds amid nervousness on all sides about how durable the ceasefire will be, and whether peace will last.

Hamas will hand over the bodies of four hostages to Israel on Monday, the militant group said in a post on its Telegram channel.

The four are among 28 deceased Israelis who are set to be released under the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

However, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the expected return of only four bodies is a "failure to meet commitments” by Hamas.

“Any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly,” Katz said in a post on X.

It’s unclear when the other hostages’ remains will be returned to Israel, but a committee has been formed to locate them in Gaza.

In a statement prior to Hamas’s announcement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said that returning only four of the 28 bodies is a “blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas.”

“We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice,” the group said.

As Trump departs Israel for Egypt, he leaves hope and a degree of hubris over the future in the Middle East.

In his hour-long address to Israel’s parliament Monday, he spoke of a “golden age of the Middle East,” how the sun rose this morning “on a holy land that is finally at peace.” and that “God willing” it “will rest for all eternity”.

Trump went further than some analysts expected to boost Netanyahu’s standing, calling him one of the greatest war-time leaders.

“You are a popular man because you know how to win,” Trump said, then followed up by asking the Israeli president to give Netanyahu a pardon in corruption cases, which was followed by chants of “Bibi, Bibi” inside the Knesset.

But polls show that Netanyahu has lost support during the last two years, accused of putting his own political future ahead of ending the war. In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s speech was not broadcast live; Trump’s was.

In one of his final remarks, Trump said to Israeli lawmakers that “you’ve won”; now’s the time to enjoy the fruits of your labour, he said, which will provoke strong responses.

David Michael Lamb

After an hour-long speech to Israel’s parliament, Trump is now on his way to the Egyptian resort city of Sharm-el Sheikh.

He boarded Air Force one a few minutes ago and it is now about to take off.

World leaders are gathering in Sharm-el Sheikh for a peace summit on Gaza later today. They include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his U.K. Counterpart, Keir Starmer, and Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Carney called the release of the hostages a “moment of profound relief.”

“After over two years of suffering, today, families are finally reunited. For the Jewish people, this is a moment that holds two truths at once – a grief for what cannot be restored, and a fragile light of what might still be repaired,” he said in a statement Monday.

Carney reiterated calls for Hamas to disarm and for a transitional governance to take over in Gaza.

As mentioned earlier, Carney is joining 20 world leaders to witness the peace-plan signing, but also to discuss how rebuilding war-torn Gaza will take place.

Hundreds of people are outside Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, celebrating the arrival of Palestinians who were released from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire deal.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinians are expected to be released by Israeli authorities under the first phase of the agreement. A vast majority of detainees returned to Gaza, while others returned to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Egypt.

Earlier, crowds cheered as two buses carrying dozens of released prisoners arrived in Beitunia in the West Bank.

The freed men, with their heads shaved, descended from the bus, flashing V (for victory) signs; some were lifted onto the shoulders of people in the crowd, while others sank into chairs nearby, exhausted.

An Egyptian official told The Associated Press that 154 Palestinian prisoners who were released and deported by Israel have arrived in Egypt.

Israelis fill every available inch of the square. Concrete barriers, meant to keep the large tents in place, have become pedestals for people hoping for a better view of the screens televising events of the day.

People cried, cheered and hugged when the first group of hostages were taken into the care of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

All of the 20 survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks led by Hamas were freed by midday. Operation Returning Home, as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) dubbed it, brought a sense of unity and jubilation that the thousands in the square said they were desperate for.

For two years, Hostages Square has been where Israelis have gathered to demand that their government end the war in Gaza and get all of the hostages back.

In a way, the crowd did get close to some of the survivors.

Several helicopters circled the square. The crowd erupted. Hands flew into the air, some holding cellphones to capture the moment while others waved madly.

The scene led to more tears and hugs. A woman in a bright orange outfit walked by our TV setup and smiled at us as she said, "What a day, What a day."

Many here today and over the past two years accuse Netanyahu of not ending the war sooner, prolonging the suffering of the hostages, their families and Israeli citizens at large.

It remains unclear when the remains of the 28 Israeli people who had been taken hostage will be returned.

Gal Hirsch, Israel's co-ordinator for the hostages and the missing, told The Associated Press that an international task force will work to locate the bodies of the hostages who are not returned within 72 hours.

Some of the bodies are likely lost in the wreckage of Gaza.

Trump's more than hour-long speech has ended. In it, he made glowing remarks about Israel and Netanyahu, at one point suggesting the prime minister should be pardoned by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud. His trial has been ongoing for years and was paused several times.

"This has been truly an honour," Trump said. "It's seldom that a president is invited to do this and I love Israel. I'm with you all the way. You'll be bigger, better, stronger — and more loving than ever before."

Apart from the interruption by left-wing Knesset member Ayman Odeh, who called for the recognition of a Palestinian state and held up a sign in parliament that said "genocide," the speech made few mentions of Palestinians.

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