Inside Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt, where Trump hailed ‘new beginning’ for Middle East

US chairwoman Donald Trump attended the Gaza Peace Summit with several other world leaders in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to discuss the future of war-torn Gaza based on Trump’s proposed 20-point plan. Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed a declaration describing a broad vision that the US President said would lay the groundwork for Gaza’s future at the summit.

Twenty living hostages were released on Monday as part of the truce deal aimed at ending the war that began on October 7, 2023. Israel has recalled troops from several areas in Gaza and agreed to allow aid to flow into the territory. Around 1,700 Palestinian prisoners who were held by Israel without any charges were also released.

1. Trump hailed the US-brokered peace as a “new beginning” for Gaza. He said there is now a window to transform the region and reset ties between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

2. World leaders from across Europe and the Middle East gathered at the summit, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

3. Trump said, “This is a tremendous day for the world, it's a tremendous day for the Middle East”, adding that the leaders gathered at the summit had “achieved what everybody said was impossible”.

4. India sent Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh to the summit, attending on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on X later, the Prime Minister welcomed the Gaza truce deal.

5. Italy’s Meloni was the only woman among about 30 leaders gathered on stage. She stood behind Trump during the summit as they signed the declaration. Trump called the Italian PM “beautiful” on stage, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said she looked “great” but also urged her to “stop smoking.”

6. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that the truce deal “closes a painful chapter in human history” and sets the stage for a two-state solution. The Egyptian leader also told Trump that “only you” can bring peace to the region. Later, Sisi awarded Trump the Order of the Nile, which is a necklace made of pure gold and considered to be Egypt's highest honour.

7. Trump also made a gesture to Iran, where Washington had bombed three nuclear sites during Tehran’s brief war with Tel Aviv earlier this year, saying that “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open”.

8. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also invited to the summit, but he declined to attend. His office said that it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

9. Trump called the gathering of several world leaders to sign the declaration a show of force and said that “all the momentum now” is behind his proposal. However, towards the end of his speech, the US president openly invited leaders to be a part of the “board of peace” that he plans to set up to govern Gaza instead of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US.

---

---