• UN chief, leaders from 20 countries gather in Sharm el-Sheikh
• Trump, Sisi to co-chair moot as Israeli, Hamas officials rely on mediators
• Prisoners swap expected today

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with his deputy Ishaq Dar, is travelling to Egypt on Monday (today) for a crucial peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, joining a host of world leaders for the signing of an agreement aimed at ending the protracted and grave conflict in Gaza.

According to the Foreign Office, PM Shehbaz is visiting Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, who will co-chair proceedings.

The summit in the Red Sea resort town is set to bring together “leaders from more than 20 countries,” Sisi’s office said.

Among those expected to attend are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Turkish, Italian and Spanish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sanchez and Pales­tinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The summit will proceed without the principal antagonists present as the central parties to war, Israel and Hamas, will be conspicuously absent from this high-level discussion.

“No Israeli official will attend,” Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told AFP on Sunday.

Similarly, Hamas has 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.

The peace deal hinges on a carefully orchestrated exchange of prisoners seized from Israel during Hamas’s attack on Oct 7, 2023, for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Both sides confirmed the exchange would proceed today (Monday) early morning, with Hamas just ahead of a midday deadline under the ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump, confirming that it had “completed all preparations” for handing over to Israel all the living and deceased prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that Israel was “ready for the immediate reception of all our prisoners.” His office stated that Palestinian prisoners would be “released once Israel has confirmation that all of our prisoners set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel.”

Meanwhile, the pause in fighting has allowed a massive and desperate return of displaced civilians. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians poured back into a shattered Gaza City ceasefire held for a third day on Sunday.

The civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas’ authority, said more than 500,000 people had returned. AFP drone footage revealed scenes of apocalyptic devastation, with entire blocks reduced to broken concrete and twisted steel.

The diplomatic choreography leading to Today’s summit began during September’s UN General Assembly, when Pakistan’s prime minister joined leaders from seven Arab-Islamic nations — Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia, and Türkiye — in discussions with Trump to explore a path to peace in Gaza.

In a joint statement following that meeting, the leaders had welcomed Trump’s efforts and reaffirmed their commitment to work with the United States to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and address the humanitarian crisis.

According to Sisi’s office, the summit 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”.

On Sunday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said a “document ending the war in the Gaza Strip” was expected to be signed during the “historic” gathering.

The summit was aimed at inaugurating “a new chapter of peace and security... and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people” in Gaza, it said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office framed PM Shehbaz participation as reflecting the nation’s “historic, consistent, and unwavering support for the just cause of the Palestinian people,”

Traditionally, the statement expressed hope that the summit would catalyse “full Israeli withdrawal, protection of Palestinian civilians, an end to their displacement, release of prisoners, addressing of the prevailing grave humanitarian situation, as well as reconstruction of Gaza.”

However, while Hamas has agreed to the initial phase of the deal, which includes the release of 48 Israeli prisoners for 250 Palestinian prisoners and another 1,700 Gazans held since the war began, the second phase of the remains disputed.

“The prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP.

However, challenges to a lasting peace remain. Senior Hamas official Hossam Badran said the plan’s second phase, which includes the group’s disarmament, “contains many complexities and difficulties.”

Another Hamas official told AFP earlier that the group’s disarmament was “out of the question.”

A Hamas source close to the negotiations said Sunday the Islamist movement would not participate in governing post-war Gaza, stating it has “relinquished control of the Strip”, but stressed it “remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric”.

As the exchange proceeds, Israel is already planning its next steps.

Israeli Defense Mini­ster Israel Katz said Sunday that the military plans to eliminate Hamas’s remaining tunnel network under an “international mechanism” led by the United States once the prisoners are freed. Katz called the destruction of the tunnels Israel’s “great challenge”.

With input from Agencies

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2025