International Cairo: More than 20 heads of state and government at Gaza peace celebrations
The Egyptian government is expecting heads of state and government from more than 20 countries to attend Monday's peace summit on the ceasefire after two years of war in Gaza. The meeting, organized by US President Donald Trump and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is to take place in the afternoon in the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, according to the presidential office in Cairo. The peace plan, which Israel and the Islamist Hamas agreed to at the end of the week, is then to be signed in a ceremony.
12.10.2025, 10:58
SDA
French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General António Guterres have already confirmed their attendance. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also attend the meeting, as reported by the British news agency PA, citing government sources. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is also expected to attend.
After the ceasefire in the Gaza conflict came into force on Friday, all hostages still alive are to be released by Monday afternoon in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In the morning, Trump will meet with relatives in Israel, then give a speech in parliament before traveling on to Egypt.
According to a statement from Cairo, the aim of the summit is to end the war in the Gaza Strip and increase efforts to create peace and stability in the region.
Even if there is much talk of a "breakthrough", there are still huge hurdles ahead of the "eternal peace" for the region invoked by Trump. According to the 20-point plan, the exchange of hostages for prisoners is to be followed by a further phase of negotiations with the aim of reaching a lasting settlement to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, these negotiations are likely to be extremely difficult, as the positions of the two sides could hardly be further apart. Hamas continues to deny Israel's right to exist, while Netanyahu and his far-right government partners want to smash Hamas completely.
