The United States, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye have signed a “historic” declaration committing to upholding a ceasefire in Gaza, as the families of 24 deceased hostages still held by Hamas await news of their release. Source: ABC News.
Hours after the last 20 remaining living hostages were reunited with family and friends, US President Donald Trump wrapped up a speech to the Israeli parliament and jetted off to Egypt.
“We have peace in the Middle East,” Mr Trump told the summit after signing the ceasefire deal.
He said the next challenge was to rebuild Gaza following two years of war.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us, and to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.”
The summit’s host, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, used the event to renew his call for a two-state solution.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attended the meeting after being invited only the night before and met with Mr Trump.
Representatives from Hamas and Israel did not attend the summit, held in the Egyptian seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by Mr Trump only hours earlier, but declined, citing “proximity of the holiday”.
The agreement came hours after Hamas handed over the 20 remaining surviving hostages captured on October 7, 2023.
On Monday, thousands of Israelis tuned in from Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as the hostages were returned.
Israel’s government and military posted dozens of photos and videos and wrote “Welcome home” on X.
The bodies of only four of the dead hostages were returned on the same day. Israel previously said it did not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday.
After the hostage release, Israel returned nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners, some serving life sentences, others taken from Gaza since the war broke out.
The two sides had been at war in Gaza since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which claimed the lives of about 1200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.
Israel’s subsequent campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 68,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Prior to the Egyptian summit, Mr Trump spent Monday morning on a whirlwind visit to Israel.
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US and Arab countries sign deal throwing support behind Gaza ceasefire (By Basel Hindeleh and Thomas Morgan, ABC News)
