Gaza Peace Summit: Which Countries Are Attending the Egypt Talks on Monday?

Egypt will host an international summit on Monday in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at finalizing an agreement to end the war in Gaza, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson has confirmed. More than 20 world leaders are expected to attend the summit, including US President Donald Trump, the spokesperson said in a statement. The gathering, first reported by Axios, is part of a push to cement a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. According to Axios, invitations were extended to leaders or foreign ministers from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia. The outlet also reported that the US State Department later expanded the list to include Spain, Japan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, India, El Salvador, Cyprus, Greece, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Canada. Iran was also invited, although Israel will not participate, the report said. Under the proposed deal, Hamas has until 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on Monday to release all Israeli hostages — including around 20 believed to be alive and the remains of up to 28 others. In return, Israel would release about 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, while allowing larger quantities of humanitarian aid to enter the territory. Subsequent phases of the agreement are expected to tackle more contentious issues, including the governance of Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the disarmament of Hamas.Also Read: Why Hamas has Refused to Sign Trump’s Gaza Peace Deal Confirming the summit on Saturday, a spokesperson for Egypt’s presidency said it was intended to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, strengthen peace and stability efforts in the Middle East, and open a new page in regional security and stability.” President Trump said on Friday that he would travel to the region on Monday, addressing Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, before heading to Egypt. “We have a lot of leaders from all over the world coming too, they’ve been invited,” he told reporters at the White House. Egypt’s foreign ministry said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had discussed summit preparations with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFw9ZIu2BGYThe meeting follows Israel’s approval of the first phase of Trump’s ceasefire and hostage return plan on Thursday, after three days of indirect negotiations in Egypt. The Israeli military has since partially withdrawn troops from parts of Gaza, though it continues to occupy roughly half of the enclave. The war began after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians — including more than 18,000 children — have been killed, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. A previous ceasefire agreement that began in January collapsed after two months when Israel resumed its military operations, having failed to progress beyond the first stage of a three-phase plan.