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Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – In a historic gathering poised to reshape the volatile landscape of the Middle East, Egypt will host an international peace summit in the sun-drenched Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, October 13, 2025. Co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, the summit brings together leaders from more than 20 countries in a high-stakes effort to solidify a fragile ceasefire in Gaza and chart a path toward lasting regional stability. This landmark event, announced by the Egyptian presidency on Saturday, arrives at a pivotal moment: just days after the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on Friday, October 10, halting two years of relentless conflict that has claimed over 67,600 Palestinian lives and displaced nearly the entire population of the Gaza Strip.
The summit's agenda, as outlined in the Egyptian presidential statement, is ambitious and multifaceted. It seeks 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." At its core is the implementation of Trump's 20-point peace plan, unveiled on September 29, 2025, during a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan, which Trump described as a "bold vision for peace," has already garnered international acclaim from leaders across Europe, Asia, and the Arab world, who see it as a potential blueprint for de-escalation in one of the world's most intractable conflicts.
The road to this summit has been paved with exhaustive diplomacy. Indirect negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, intensified in recent weeks in Sharm el-Sheikh itself, where U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff played key roles in bridging gaps between Israeli and Hamas representatives. On Wednesday, October 8, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the initial phase of the plan, which activated at 12 noon local time (0900 GMT) on Friday. Under this phase, Hamas is set to release 20 living Israeli hostages—part of the 48 remaining captives from the October 7, 2023, attacks—in exchange for Israel's release of approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 detained since the war's onset. The releases are expected to unfold over the weekend, with the remains of over two dozen deceased hostages also to be returned within 72 hours.
Eyewitness accounts from Gaza paint a picture of cautious optimism amid the rubble. In Gaza City, bulldozers rumbled to life for the first time in months on Saturday, clearing debris from bomb-cratered streets as displaced families tentatively returned northward. "It's like waking from a nightmare, but the scars are everywhere," said Amina al-Husseini, a 42-year-old mother of four who fled her home in Beit Hanoun last March. Her family, like over 1.9 million others, had been herded into southern Gaza by Israeli evacuation orders, only to face intensified bombardment there. Now, with the ceasefire holding, aid convoys—stocked with food, medicine, and construction materials—began trickling through the Rafah crossing on Saturday, adhering to protocols from the January 19, 2025, interim agreement. The United Nations and Red Crescent agencies are overseeing distribution to ensure neutrality, a mechanism designed to prevent interference from either side.
Yet, the ceasefire's fragility cannot be overstated. The Gaza war, ignited by Hamas's October 7, 2023, incursion that killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages, has exacted an unimaginable toll. Israeli forces' subsequent campaign—encompassing airstrikes, ground invasions, and a near-total blockade—has killed more than 67,600 Palestinians, with nearly a third under 18, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Independent analyses, including a peer-reviewed study in The Lancet published in January 2025, suggest the true figure could be 40% higher due to unrecovered bodies under rubble and indirect deaths from famine and disease. Gaza, once home to 2.3 million people, is now largely uninhabitable: 80% of buildings destroyed, hospitals reduced to skeletal remains, and over 100,000 injured, including the world's highest per capita rate of child amputees. Israeli losses stand at 1,983, including 466 soldiers, with the military claiming nearly 20,000 Hamas fighters killed.
Trump's 20-point plan addresses these horrors head-on, but its success hinges on the second phase, to be negotiated post-hostage release. This phase envisions a "new governing mechanism" for Gaza excluding Hamas, the formation of a multinational security force drawn from Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic troops, and the complete disarmament of the militant group. Critically, it commits to no Israeli annexation, occupation, or forced population transfers—principles Trump reaffirmed in recent statements—and opens the door to redeveloping Gaza as a "de-radicalized, terror-free zone" for its residents' benefit. Full humanitarian aid will flow unimpeded, including infrastructure rehabilitation for water, electricity, and sewage systems, echoing commitments from earlier truces. Israeli forces would gradually withdraw entirely, save for a temporary security perimeter, handing control to an interim Palestinian authority.
The plan's rollout has not been without controversy. Hamas, while agreeing to phase one, has balked at disarmament, viewing it as a surrender of resistance against occupation. Israeli hardliners, including members of Netanyahu's coalition, decry any withdrawal as a security risk, though Netanyahu himself endorsed the framework, crediting his "tough stance" for securing hostage releases while maintaining IDF control over much of Gaza during phase one. In Pakistan, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif voiced support for the plan, thousands of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan protesters clashed with police in Islamabad and Lahore on Saturday, resulting in two deaths, hundreds injured, and internet shutdowns—highlighting the plan's polarizing ripple effects. Even in Israel, crowds in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square waved banners proclaiming "Nobel President Trump," blending gratitude with skepticism about long-term viability.
As world leaders converge on Sharm el-Sheikh, the attendee list underscores the summit's global stakes. Confirmed participants include UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who praised the truce as a "beacon of hope"; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will pay "particular tribute" to Trump; French President Emmanuel Macron; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez; Jordan's King Abdullah II; and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, invited personally by Trump and Sisi. Notably, in a diplomatic surprise, Iran has been invited, with President Masoud Pezeshkian on the roster—a move to broaden buy-in amid Tehran's support for Hamas. Israel, however, will be absent; Netanyahu cited the hostage releases' timing as conflicting with the summit's schedule, though his envoys will participate virtually. Adding a somber note, three Qatari diplomats en route to the summit died in a car crash near Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, with two others injured; Egyptian authorities are investigating it as an accident, though online speculation swirls.
Egypt's role as host is no accident. Under al-Sisi, Cairo has long positioned itself as a neutral mediator, leveraging its shared border with Gaza and historical ties to both Palestinians and Israelis. The summit venue—evocative of the 2000 Camp David talks—symbolizes continuity in pursuit of peace. In a phone call Thursday, al-Sisi congratulated Trump on the ceasefire breakthrough, inviting him to Egypt and emphasizing joint U.S.-Egyptian values of "peaceful solutions over military means." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this, calling the event a "unique historic moment" during talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Beyond Gaza, the summit eyes broader horizons. Discussions will address de-escalation along Israel's northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed over 500 since October 2023, and tensions in the West Bank, where settler violence and military raids have claimed 1,048 Palestinian lives as of October 3. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a vocal critic of Israel, commended Trump's "efforts to halt the bloodshed" but urged safeguards for Palestinian sovereignty. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hailed the plan as a "significant step toward a two-state solution," while New Zealand's government called for its full implementation to end the "disastrous conflict." Even German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a call with al-Sisi, thanked Egypt for its mediation.
Critics, however, warn of pitfalls. Human rights groups like Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimate 51,000 additional "natural" deaths from blockade-induced famine and healthcare collapse by June 2025, urging the summit to prioritize accountability for alleged war crimes. An August 2025 analysis of leaked Israeli military data revealed an 83% civilian casualty rate in Gaza strikes, fueling genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice. On social media, reactions ranged from jubilant—posts hailing Trump as a "peacemaker"—to cynical, with users decrying the plan as ineffective amid ongoing Israeli incursions in Syria and Lebanon.
As delegates arrive under tight security—Egyptian forces patrolling the Naama Bay waterfront—the world watches. Trump's vision, born of "relentless efforts to end conflicts around the world," could redefine U.S. diplomacy, much like his Abraham Accords. Yet, for Gazans like al-Husseini, the true measure lies in the days ahead: Will aid rebuild homes? Will security forces foster trust? Will peace endure beyond the summit's photo ops?
In the shadow of Mount Sinai, where ancient covenants were forged, Sharm el-Sheikh now hosts a modern reckoning. If successful, this summit may not only silence Gaza's guns but ignite a "new era" of coexistence. Failure, however, risks reigniting a cycle of devastation that has scarred generations. As al-Sisi and Trump prepare to open proceedings, the onus falls on all parties to transcend rhetoric and embrace reconciliation—for the sake of 2.3 million souls in Gaza and millions more across the region.
