Egypt will host an international peace summit in the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, to be co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah el Sisi and his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
A presidential statement said late on Saturday that the summit will bring together leaders from more than 20 countries.
The summit aims to “end the war in Gaza, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability,” the statement said.
This summit “comes in light of US President Trump's vision for achieving peace in the region and his relentless efforts to end conflicts around the world,” it added.
Over 67,600 Palestinians killed
Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he laid out on September 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire enclave.
The first phase of the deal came into force at 12 noon local time (0900 GMT) on Friday.
A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,600 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.
