Ceasefire Countdown: Gaza Peace Talks to Enter Final Stage at Egypt Summit

Egypt will convene over 20 world leaders in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday for a landmark international summit aimed at finalizing a comprehensive peace agreement to end the devastating two-year war in Gaza.

A statement from the Egyptian presidential office confirms that among the prominent attendees are U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Regional leaders and representatives from the United Nations and the European Union will also be in attendance. The summit follows months of intensive diplomatic negotiations spearheaded by the United States with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey playing key mediation roles.

“The Summit will address Peace and stability in the Middle East,” with a focus on implementing a U.S.-brokered agreement that includes an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners and the establishment of transitional governance in Gaza“-Egyptian Presidency

Diplomatic sources cited by international news agencies indicate that the first phase of the agreement is expected to begin immediately after the summit. Hamas has been given a deadline of 12:00 a.m. local time on Monday to release all hostages currently held in Gaza.

In return, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israel will also be released. Before attending the summit in Egypt, U.S. President Trump is scheduled to land in Israel, where he will address the Israeli Parliament. Meanwhile, as peace talks intensify, humanitarian operations in Gaza are already scaling up.

Convoys of aid trucks were seen entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Sunday morning, with relief agencies preparing for a significant increase in humanitarian assistance once hostilities cease.

Hamas has reportedly begun recalling its fighters in an attempt to reassert internal control in Gaza, raising concerns over potential internal power struggles during the transition period. (Agencies)