World leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to endorse a ceasefire intended to end two years of conflict in Gaza, with the United States and Egypt co-chairing what has been billed as a “Summit for Peace”.
The meeting follows a breakthrough agreement under which Hamas is to release the remaining Israeli hostages and Israel will free large numbers of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel and Hamas are absent from the summit, reflecting the indirect nature of recent negotiations brokered primarily through Egypt, Qatar and other regional actors. Attendees include leaders or senior representatives from Turkey, Jordan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the United Nations and the European Union. The summit is scheduled to conclude with a joint statement from Presidents Donald Trump and Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
The ceasefire, in place since Friday, envisages an initial exchange of detainees alongside a partial pull-back of Israeli forces from parts of the Gaza Strip to allow displaced civilians to return and aid agencies to scale up operations. On Monday, Hamas began handing over hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross; Israeli authorities prepared for reciprocal prisoner releases. Officials and media reports put the number of living hostages to be freed at 20, with Israel set to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
In parallel, international actors are advancing humanitarian and reconstruction initiatives. The World Bank, UN and EU have estimated Gaza’s recovery and rebuilding needs at approximately $53 billion over the coming decade. Egypt has proposed hosting a dedicated reconstruction conference, with Germany signalling its readiness to co-host.
The United Kingdom confirmed a £20 million package for emergency water, sanitation and hygiene support, channelled via UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the Norwegian Refugee Council. London also plans to convene a three-day meeting to coordinate recovery and institutional reform, in coordination with international financial institutions. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is attending the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.
Washington and Cairo describe the meeting as an attempt to consolidate the ceasefire and sketch a political track for Gaza’s governance and security. Questions still to be addressed include the demobilisation of armed groups, the scope and sequencing of Israeli withdrawals, and the composition and mandate of a post-war administration. The United States has outlined a framework in which regional and international partners would help stand up a new Palestinian security force; Egypt has indicated that it and Jordan could support training.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz is among the European leaders in attendance. Berlin says it is prepared to co-organise the reconstruction conference with Egypt, initially prioritising essential services including water, power and medical care. The initiative would sit alongside humanitarian deliveries that are expected to increase as crossings reopen under the ceasefire terms.
The absence of the principal belligerents underlines the fragility of the process. Israel has rejected any renewed role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority, although its representatives are in Sharm el-Sheikh. Iran, a key backer of Hamas, is not participating. Regional capitals have nonetheless sought to keep channels open, with Turkey and Qatar engaged in mediation and humanitarian arrangements.
Domestic debates in several capitals continue over scope and pace. In the UK, ministers have framed the aid commitment as part of a broader leadership role on recovery. In Germany, coalition and opposition figures have pressed for accountability on humanitarian access and for safeguards around any future Gaza administration. At the UN, Secretary-General António Guterres has urged sustained access for relief operations as the truce beds in.
The Sharm el-Sheikh venue has long been associated with Middle East diplomacy. It hosted multiple rounds of Israeli-Palestinian talks in previous decades and has more recently been a site for large-scale international gatherings. Egyptian officials say the present summit will last roughly two hours, with outcomes limited to political endorsement, humanitarian pledges and a pathway for reconstruction planning.
While Monday’s exchanges mark the most visible implementation step to date, the trajectory remains uncertain. The ceasefire’s durability will hinge on verification mechanisms, border management and the evolution of Gaza’s internal security arrangements. The reconstruction track will depend on sustained donor financing, access for materials and agreement on oversight. For now, world leaders are backing a process aimed at halting the fighting and setting out the next phase, even as substantive negotiations continue by proxy.
