CAIRO: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday arrived in Egypt to participate in the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit and attend the signing ceremony of a peace agreement aimed at ending the Gaza conflict.
Two years of Israeli bombardment in the Palestinian enclave have claimed more than 67,000 lives, with the continuing to rise as more bodies are recovered.
Last month, US President Trump had mediated a truce with the help of eight Muslim nations between Hamas and Israel and paved the way for the end of genocide in Gaza through a 20-point plan.
Last week, Hamas and Israel had signed an agreement to cease fire and free Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of Trump’s initiative to end the conflict.
Yesterday, a statement by the Foreign Office (FO) said that the summit was the result of the diplomatic efforts that began on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 80th Session in New York last month.
Today, PM Shehbaz arrived in Egypt and called the peace plan a “crucial step towards lasting peace in the Middle East”.
“Grateful to our co-hosts, President El Sisi and President Trump. We would not have seen this moment without President Trump’s outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment,” PM Shehbaz said on X.
“It took his single-minded pursuit of peace to end the needless killing and destruction,” he said.
PM Shehbaz added that the ceremony marked the “closing of a genocidal chapter, one that the international community must ensure is never repeated anywhere again”.
He said the “brave and resilient” Palestinian people deserve to live in a free Palestine, “with pre 1967 borders, with Al Quds Al Sharif as their capital city”.
Trump, along with his Egyptian counterpart Sisi, will chair the summit set to be attended by world leaders, including the head of the United Nations.
The gathering in the Red Sea resort town will bring together “leaders from more than 20 countries”, Sisi’s office had said. It will seek “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sanchez of Spain will also attend the summit. French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, according to their offices.
The European Council will be represented by its president, Antonio Costa, a spokesperson said. Jordan’s King Abdullah II is also expected to attend, according to state media.
Israel and Hamas, however, will not attend the summit.
“No Israeli official will attend,” Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told AFP yesterday.
Similarly, Hamas confirmed it will not participate directly. Hossam Badran, a member of the Hamas political bureau, told AFP that the Palestinian group “will not be involved.” He noted that Hamas “acted principally through … Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during previous negotiations.
