Taming the Fire: World leaders secure the end of the Gaza war
In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, the leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, acting as mediators between Israel and Hamas, signed a final agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip. This happened within the framework of the "Peace Summit", which was attended by the leaders and foreign ministers of more than twenty countries. They discussed the implementation of the US plan to end the conflict and efforts to stabilize the situation in the entire Middle East. At the same time, the most difficult stages of the peace plan are ahead — from the demilitarization of Gaza to the formation of mechanisms for its post-war governance. The summit participants assure that this time the international community is ready to bring the process to an end. However, experts are skeptical about the absence of representatives of Israel, Hamas and Iran at the summit.
How was the "Peace Summit"
On the evening of October 13, a "Peace Summit" was held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, timed to coincide with the official conclusion of a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. The meeting brought together more than twenty world leaders and foreign ministers.
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold in their hands the signed agreement on the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
The summit was co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to the office of the Egyptian leader, the purpose of the forum is "to end the war in Gaza, strengthen efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and open a new era of regional security." The ambitious objectives of the event are supported by an impressive list of participants, many of whom played a key role in reaching the current truce agreement and the release of hostages.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leaders and ministers of France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia and other countries arrived in Egypt. In his speech, Trump called the Gas deal "the largest and most difficult" and announced the advent of peace in the Middle East.
— They always say that the third world War will start in the Middle East, but this will not happen. We don't want this to start anywhere, it's not going to happen," the American leader said.
Al-Sisi appealed to Israel to seize the "historic moment" and turn it into a new beginning for peaceful coexistence.
— Let's turn this historical moment into a new beginning — into a new page of just life and peaceful coexistence.… Extend your hands to cooperate in achieving a just and lasting peace for all the peoples of the region," the Egyptian President said.
Following the summit, the leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, acting as mediators between Israel and Hamas, signed a final agreement to end the war in Gaza. It was the culmination of days of diplomatic efforts aimed at stopping the fighting, organizing a prisoner exchange and creating prerequisites for sustainable peace in the region.
— After many years of suffering and bloodshed, the war in Gaza is over… Wonderful days are coming, and recovery is beginning," US President Donald Trump said at a joint press conference.
Negotiations on laying the foundations for the restoration of the exclave will begin in the coming days, al-Sisi stressed. According to him, Egypt will host a summit on the reconstruction of Gaza.
The location of the leaders at the summit attracts attention. The President of Palestine, who, it would seem, should have been the center of attention at the event, turned out to be at the very edge of the overall photo, further from the center than even the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto. In addition, it is significant that Abbas was not initially among those invited to the summit.
A bilateral meeting between Trump and al-Sisi took place within the framework of the event. The US president said that negotiations on the second phase of the plan for Gaza have already begun. He stressed that Egypt had played a critical role in reaching a ceasefire agreement. Noting the many challenges, such as clearing rubble, the American president expressed confidence that the region will see significant progress in the near future, and added that the stages of the plan for Gaza are closely interrelated.
For his part, the Egyptian president expressed gratitude to Trump, congratulating him on reaching the agreement on Gas.
— Egyptian diplomacy has succeeded in bringing the Palestinian issue back to the center of international attention, which previously seemed impossible. The series of European recognitions of the State of Palestine has important political and legal significance. This indicates a gradual change in international positions in favor of the Palestinian people," Tarek al—Bardisi, an Egyptian international relations specialist, told Izvestia.
Hamas has no intention of leaving Gaza
However, the key players of the conflict are absent from the summit. Israel has not sent official representatives, as stated in the Office of the Prime Minister. Tel Aviv stressed that Netanyahu would not be able to attend the summit due to the start of the Simchat Torah holiday.
Benjamin Netanyahu
The Hamas movement is also not participating in the event. As well as Iran. Despite Cairo's invitation, neither President Masoud Peseshkian nor Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Egypt. The latter said on a social network that his country could not negotiate with parties that "attacked the Iranian people and continue to threaten us and impose sanctions," referring to the United States.
Sharm el-Sheikh was not chosen by chance to host this forum. As Tarek al-Bardisi noted, the "city of peace" has been a platform for important diplomatic initiatives for decades. Key meetings on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement were held here in 1996, 2000 and 2005 with the participation of the leaders of the United States, Israel and Palestine.
Palestinian security expert Mohammed al-Masri noted that the political prospects for resolving the conflict directly depend on the decisions taken in the framework of the peace process and on the recognition of the right of Palestinians to self-determination.
— The current situation represents a rare chance for the international community to have a real impact on shaping the future of the region. The main goal of the summit is to achieve sustainable and long—term peace," al—Masri told Izvestia.
The expert also drew attention to the fact that Israel is approaching internal political changes, and, in his opinion, the country is moving towards early elections. According to al-Masri, the signals sounded in Donald Trump's speeches indicate a possible weakening of the far-right coalition. At the same time, there are attempts to give more weight to the idea of Palestinian statehood, accompanied by distancing not only from the Hamas movement, but also from other previously created political movements and organizations.
Despite the current truce, the next stage of the implementation of the agreement remains extremely difficult. If the second phase, concerning the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza, is sabotaged, then the resumption of hostilities will become a very real prospect.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz clearly outlined the following priority task. He said that after the hostages were returned, the main goal would be "the destruction of all Hamas terrorist tunnels in Gaza" by the IDF and the international mechanism being created under the auspices of the United States. Katz stressed that this is the practical implementation of the agreed principle of demilitarization of the sector.
To monitor compliance with the truce, the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, conducted an inspection tour of the Gaza Strip together with American Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper. The latter announced the creation of a US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center that would contribute to post-war stability without the deployment of American troops on the land of Gaza.
Meanwhile, the proposal under President Trump's peace plan for the withdrawal of Hamas members from the Gaza Strip was met with hostility. Husam Badran, a member of the movement's politburo, called the idea "absurd and meaningless," saying any talk of expelling Palestinians from their land was unacceptable.
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