The summit is due to convene on Monday, days after the signing of the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel on October 9, following negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh. 

Leaders and senior officials from 20 countries are expected to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt on Monday, co-chaired by the presidents of Egypt and the United States. The summit follows the signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement last week.

“The summit will be co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

The statement added that the summit aims to end the war in Gaza, strengthen “efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East,” and mark “a new phase of regional security and stability”.

“This summit comes in light of U.S. President Trump’s vision for achieving peace in the region and his relentless efforts to end conflicts around the world,” the statement said.

The summit will convene just days after the signing of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel on October 9, following indirect negotiations held in Sharm El-Sheikh. 

The agreement was brokered by Qatar, Egypt, the U.S., and Türkiye.

The U.S. State Department reportedly invited Qatar, Spain, Japan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, India, El Salvador, Cyprus, Greece, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Canada. Axios reported that Iran was also invited, while Israel will not attend the summit.

Qatar has yet to confirm whether Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani or Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will represent the country at the summit.

Confirmed attendees include French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also scheduled to attend the high-level meeting.

Gaza witnesses first period of calm

The ceasefire came into effect at 12:00pm Gaza local time on Friday, and was immediately followed by scenes of thousands of Palestinians returning to their destroyed or partially destroyed homes.

The cessation of hostilities has enabled the Palestinian Civil Defence to begin searching for and retrieving the bodies of Palestinians killed during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 67,682 — mostly women and children. However, the figure does not include thousands of others missing beneath the rubble.

Aid is expected to enter the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time since Israel imposed a complete blockade on March 2.

Hamas is also due to hand over both living and deceased captives during the first phase of the agreement, with the initial batch expected to be released on Monday. The deal also stipulates that Israel is obligated to release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, along with all women and children held in its prisons.

Additionally, Israel must release 1,700 detainees taken from the Gaza Strip. However, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian doctor kidnapped by Israel from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza last December, is not among those expected to be released, a Hamas official told CNN on Friday.

The second phase of the deal will then focus on establishing a new governing mechanism in Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.