By SCM Staff Writer I Sunday, October 12, 2025
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — President Donald J. Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are set to jointly chair a high-level international summit here on Monday, gathering the leaders of more than 20 countries in a significant push to finalize a broader agreement aimed at ending the two-year war in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting, formally announced by the Egyptian presidency, is titled the “Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit” and is focused on translating a recent, tenuous ceasefire into a permanent solution for the region.
According to a statement from the Egyptian government, the summit aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, strengthen efforts for peace and stability in the Middle East, and open a new page of regional security and stability.”
The gathering of world leaders, which includes French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, underscores the intense international focus on stabilizing the region following a conflict that has caused catastrophic humanitarian devastation and regional instability.
The summit comes on the heels of a U.S.-brokered agreement, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, that initiated a pause in hostilities and is expected to lead to a phased exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, beginning Monday.
While the ceasefire has brought a fragile calm, the Sharm el-Sheikh conference is intended to win high-level backing for the long-term, post-war framework. That framework, largely championed by the Trump administration, seeks to disarm the militant group Hamas, install a new governing authority in Gaza, and establish a security mechanism to prevent future flare-ups.
The complexity of the task remains evident. The summit will take place without the formal participation of representatives from either Israel or the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A senior Hamas official has explicitly stated that the group would boycott the event and has dismissed core elements of the proposed post-war plan, particularly the demands for disarmament, as “absurd.”
For President Trump, the summit is a high-profile diplomatic moment, allowing him to preside over a major international effort to resolve a protracted conflict, in line with his administration’s vision for “achieving peace in the region.”
Analysts view the conference as a crucial moment for global powers to coordinate not only on the security architecture of a post-war Gaza but also on the monumental reconstruction and humanitarian aid effort that will be required to rebuild the shattered territory.
The attendance of major European and Middle Eastern heads of state signals the broad global commitment to underwriting whatever peace deal can be achieved.
However, with critical stakeholders like Hamas staying away, the challenge for the leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh will be to build a consensus durable enough to withstand the deep, unresolved political disputes that have fueled decades of conflict.
The path from a temporary truce to the “new page of regional security” promised by the hosts remains fraught with obstacles.
