New Delhi, Oct 12: Preparations are under way for a major international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday, aimed at ending the war in Gaza and promoting long-term peace and stability across the West Asia or Middle East. The summit will be co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, international media reported.
More than 20 heads of state and international leaders are expected to attend, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, European Council President Antonio Costa, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, reports international media.
According to The Indian Express, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been invited by Presidents Trump and el-Sisi to join the high-level summit. The invitation was reportedly extended at the last minute on Saturday, but the Prime Minister’s Office has not yet confirmed his participation or if he has received the invitation. If he attends, it would mark India’s first direct engagement in a multilateral peace initiative on the Gaza conflict, underlining New Delhi’s growing diplomatic profile in West Asia.
The meeting will focus on implementing a US-brokered peace plan designed to end hostilities between Israel and Hamas, initiate a phased ceasefire, and lay the groundwork for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The first phase of the ceasefire is set to begin on the same day, with the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has announced it will not participate directly in the summit, noting that it has engaged primarily through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attendance also remains uncertain.
Under the proposed plan, Israeli forces will begin a phased withdrawal from Gaza’s urban areas, to be replaced by a multinational peacekeeping contingent from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The transition will be coordinated through a US-led command centre based in Israel.
Ahead of the summit, senior US officials, including Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, visited Gaza to review the situation. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have started returning to their homes amid a fragile ceasefire, as Israeli troops partially withdrew under the first stage of the agreement.
The Sharm el-Sheikh summit is being viewed as one of the most significant diplomatic gatherings in recent years, with world leaders expected to endorse a 20-point roadmap for peace, security, and reconstruction, a plan that, for the first time, outlines a clear pathway toward the creation of a Palestinian state. If India confirms participation, it would signal New Delhi’s intent to play a more visible role in shaping regional peace efforts.
