SHARM EL-SHEIKH/JERUSALEM/: Mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye signed with US President Donald Trump a declaration as the guarantors of a Gaza ceasefire deal aimed at ending two years of war.
The document was signed during the international summit hosted by Egypt in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on the deal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present on the occasion.
“Together we have achieved what everybody said was impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Trump said in a speech to fellow leaders. The hailed the Gaza summit as a “tremendous day” for the Middle East.
“This is a tremendous day for the world, it´s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” Trump said as more than two dozen world leaders sat down to talk in Sharm El-Sheikh. Earlier, in Gaza, thousands of relatives, many weeping with joy, gathered at a hospital where buses brought home some of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be freed by Israel as part of the accord.
The Israeli prison service said Monday it had freed nearly 2,000 mostly Palestinian detainees as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal. While, all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas after more than two years in captivity in Gaza.
Hamas also handed over the remains of two deceased hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, an official involved in the operation said on Monday. Hamas’s armed wing earlier said it would hand over the bodies of four hostages. Hamas says recovering the bodies could take time as not all burial sites are known. It said on Monday it would soon hand over four bodies and the Israeli military confirmed it had received two coffins and expected two more.
Aid supplies must be rushed into the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of people face famine. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher underlined the need to “get shelter and fuel to people who desperately need it and to massively scale up the food and medicine and other supplies going in”.
Palestinians meanwhile rushed to embrace prisoners freed by Israel. Several thousand gathered inside and around Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, some waving Palestinian flags, others holding photos of their relatives.
“I am happy for our sons who are being freed, but we are still in pain for all those who have been killed by the occupation, and all the destruction that happened to our Gaza,” a Gaza woman, Um Ahmed, told Reuters in a tearful voice message.
Freed prisoners arrived in buses, some of them posing from the windows, flashing V-for-Victory signs. Samer Halabeya, a doctor freed from jail where he was serving a sentence for planning an attack that wounded an Israeli officer, stood by his weeping mother in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
“We hope that everyone gets freed,” he said. Earlier, in Jerusalem, Trump said a Gaza deal recently agreed between Israel and Hamas was timely, as Israel’s military operations were becoming “bad and heated.”
“I said, Bibi, you’re going to be remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going - kill, kill,” Trump said in a speech before the Israeli parliament, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I just want to congratulate you for having the courage to say, ‘that’s it, we’ve won and now let’s enjoy our lives’.” US president Donald Trump expressed gratitude towards Muslim countries and Middle East states for supporting his idea of safe rebuilding of Gaza. “I want to thank Arab and Muslim nations for supporting the safe rebuilding of Gaza.” He stated that the entire region has endorsed the plan to disarm Hamas.
During his speech to the Israeli parliament, Trump also called on other nations to join the Abraham Accords after several Muslim and Arab nations backed his plan for peace in Gaza. “You’re all be doing me a favour if you all join up in the Abraham Accords,” the US president said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a series of important meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, reiterating Pakistan’s firm support for peace in the region and solidarity with the people of Palestine.
PM Shehbaz and President Donald Trump met here exchanged a warm handshake and pleasantries in a cordial atmosphere. US President Donald Trump met individually with the leaders attending the summit. When Shehbaz arrived for the meeting, the US president shook his hand warmly, after which the two leaders held talks in a pleasant environment.
Later, a group photo was also taken of the leaders attending the summit, in which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present alongside other world leaders. In a significant trilateral interaction, Prime Minister Sharif met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, where all three leaders expressed satisfaction over the recent ceasefire in Gaza.
The meeting marked a rare moment of convergence between the two Caucasus nations and underscored the broader international commitment to de-escalation in the Middle East. The prime minister also held bilateral discussions with prominent global leaders including King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
During these meetings, Shehbaz emphasised the urgent need for coordinated international efforts to restore peace in the region. He highlighted Pakistan’s consistent stance on the Palestinian issue, reaffirming Islamabad’s unwavering diplomatic and moral support for the Palestinian people.
“Our position is rooted in justice and humanity,” said the prime minister. “Pakistan will continue to stand by the Palestinian cause and support all peaceful initiatives aimed at ending violence and ensuring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
“The meetings also included discussions on broader regional stability, strengthening multilateral cooperation, and promoting dialogue to resolve long-standing conflicts. Prime Minister Shehbaz also held a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the peace summit, reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa also joined the conversation, reflecting the spirit of regional unity and shared commitment to peace. President Mahmoud Abbas expressed deep gratitude to Pakistan for its consistent support of the Palestinian people and its steadfast advocacy on political and diplomatic fronts.
The two leaders met informally ahead of the ceasefire signing ceremony, exchanging views in a cordial atmosphere. They lauded the historic and brotherly relations between Pakistan and Palestine, describing them as a source of pride for both nations and their peoples.
Shehbaz paid tribute to the brave people of Gaza for their courage and endurance in the face of immense hardship over the years. Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the ceasefire in Gaza, calling it a vital step toward lasting peace and the future development of the Palestinian people.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz arrived in Sharm El Sheikh to join more than 20 world leaders in the Gaza Ceasefire and Peace Summit. Upon arrival at the airport, the prime minister was received by Dr Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports for Egypt.
The prime minister also met with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Thamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the peace summit. During their warm and friendly meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed the strong and historic bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar, while expressing their shared commitment and common resolve to further deepen Pakistan-Qatar cooperation across diverse fields.
The prime minister expressed deep appreciation to the emir for his steadfast leadership, diplomacy and cooperation with other brotherly countries in this regard that had resulted in the historic peace agreement being signed at Sharm-el-Sheikh, as well as Qatar’s consistent efforts aimed at finding a just and lasting solution to the crisis in Gaza.
While applauding the agreement, that had rekindled the hopes of millions of Palestinians to resume and rebuild their lives, he emphasised Pakistan’s longstanding position in favour of the creation of an independent, viable Palestinian state, with pre-1967 borders and with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s continued support for provision of humanitarian relief assistance for the Palestinian people.
The Emir of Qatar thanked the prime minister for Pakistan’s solidarity as well as its principled stance on Palestine, while expressing the hope that the sustained focus of the international community would help bring lasting peace and stability to the region.
Both leaders agreed to remain closely engaged on regional and international issues of mutual concern. Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that his country would host a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza following a deal for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.
“Egypt will work with the United States in coordination with partners in the coming days to lay the foundation for the reconstruction of the (Gaza) Strip, and we intend to host an early recovery, reconstruction and development conference,” he said.
Sisi said that a two-state solution was the only way to achieve the ambitions of the Palestinians and the Israelis and live in peace. Earlier, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was forced into a rapid diplomatic about-face as some leaders at the Gaza summit in Egypt balked at the prospect of having to rub shoulders with the Israeli premier, three sources told AFP.
Netanyahu had been poised for an unlikely, last-minute visit to the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh following a three-way call with US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, only to quickly pull out citing a scheduling conflict.
His attendance would have raised the prospect of Netanyahu mixing with officials from a number of Arab countries that do not recognise Israel. Turkiye´s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Spain´s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, among other heads of state and government at the summit, have been vocal in accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
An adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told AFP the country´s delegates would boycott the summit if Netanyahu was there. “The Iraqi delegation informed the Egyptian side that it was not prepared to participate in the regional summit if Netanyahu attended,” adviser Ali al-Mousawi told AFP.
“Iraq has taken a clear position on this matter and has informed the Egyptians of its rejection, and a number of other delegations have announced their intention to withdraw if Netanyahu participates.” He said Cairo had then informed Netanyahu he “could not be received, which led to the cancellation of his participation in the conference”.
Earlier, the Egyptian presidency had confirmed Netanyahu would be present at the summit, but some 40 minutes later, the Israeli leader´s office issued a statement saying he would be unable to attend.
Although he was invited by Trump, Netanyahu would not be taking part “due to the timing”, which coincided with the start at sundown of the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, his office said.
A Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP: “At the initiative of President Erdogan and through Turkey´s diplomatic efforts -- with the support of other leaders -- Netanyahu did not attend the meeting.”
According to Turkish media reports, Erdogan learned of Netanyahu´s expected attendance while en route to Sharm el-Sheikh, with his plane circling over the Red Sea and refusing to touch down until it was confirmed the Israeli leader would not be coming.
Another diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said several countries had panicked at the prospect of Netanyahu´s arrival.
In particular, many did not want to be photographed with him at the summit, prompting the reversal, the same source said. During Trump´s earlier call with Sisi and Netanyahu, the US president had insisted on pushing for the Israeli premier´s attendance, while the Egyptian leader was reluctant to appear at odds with his American counterpart, the source explained.