Donald Trump and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders in Sharm El Sheikh on Monday, after the US president first visits Israel to speak at the Knesset and meet families of the hostages.
The summit’s aim is “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”, according to the Egyptian presidency.
The impressive aims of the meeting are matched by a similarly impressive guest list, many of whom have played a vital role in securing the ceasefire and hostage release deal that is currently in place.
The continuing success of the deal – and how closely the next stages match up to Trump’s 20-point peace plan – are all expected to be up for discussions at Monday’s meeting.
Who is going to the Gaza ‘peace summit’?
Donald Trump
The US president will be seeking to advance his peace, with several crucial elements – including how Gaza is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas – still unconfirmed. Still, Trump is riding high on his current successes, telling reporters on Sunday “the war is over”.
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Egypt has played a leading role in negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the course of the two-year conflict. Al-Sisi’s invitation for Trump to take a “victory lap” of the region will help ensure the ceasefire sticks, a source told Reuters.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Qatar’s Emir was reportedly among the Arab leaders pushing to bind Trump to the peace process, hoping that tying it to the president would help ensure its success.
Mahmoud Abbas
Trump’s peace plan left open the possibility of a role for Abbas’s Palestinian Authority in Gaza – contingent on various reforms – but Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected such an idea.
Also attending:
French President: Emmanuel Macron
Turkish President: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
UK’s prime minister: Keir Starmer
Spanish prime minister: Pedro Sánchez
Italian prime minister: Giorgia Meloni
European council president: Antonio Costa
UN secretary-general: António Guterres
Arab League secretary-general: Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Jordan’s King Abdullah II
Kuwait’s prime minister: Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Indonesia’s President: Prabowo Subianto
Azerbaijan’s President: Ilham Aliyev
German Chancellor: Friedrich Merz
Greek prime minister: Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Armenian prime minister: Nikol Pashinyan
Hungary’s prime minister: Viktor Orbán
Pakistan’s prime minister: Shehbaz Sharif
Canada’s prime minister: Mark Carney
Norway’s prime minister: Jonas Gahr Store
Iraq’s prime minister: Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
Who is not going to the summit?
Israeli officials
Israel will not send a representative to the peace summit, a spokesperson for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
Representatives from Hamas
A Hamas political bureau member said the group “will not be involved”, adding that Hamas “acted principally through … Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during previous talks on Gaza.
Iranian officials
Iranian state media reported that Egypt had invited Iran to attend the summit, but on Monday the country confirmed that neither its President Masoud Pezeshkian nor foreign minister Abbas Araghchi would take part.
On Monday, Araghchi posted on X: “Neither President Pezeshkian nor I can engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian People and continue to threaten and sanction us,” in reference to the United States.
Washington briefly joined Israel in attacks that targeted Iran’s nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June.
