“This is a great day for the world, a great day for the Middle East,” President Trump said as more than 20 world leaders gathered at the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13.
He later announced that the leaders had achieved what many once called “impossible.” “At last, we have peace in the Middle East,” he declared.
The joint declaration was signed by President Trump, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to the statement, the signatories pledged to pursue a comprehensive vision for regional peace, security, and shared prosperity, and welcomed progress toward establishing a “comprehensive and sustainable” peace agreement in Gaza.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described the Gaza accord as one that “closes a painful chapter in human history” and opens the path toward a two-state solution.
The peace summit followed Hamas’s release on October 13 of the last 20 living hostages held in Gaza. In return, Israel freed 1,986 prisoners—mostly Palestinians—from its jails. The exchange was part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan announced in September.
“The long and painful nightmare has finally ended—not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and many others,” Trump told Israel’s parliament before traveling to Egypt.
Under the peace roadmap proposed by the U.S. President, after the hostage-prisoner exchange, Israel would begin withdrawing its forces from the Gaza Strip in preparation for subsequent negotiations. Observers noted that key obstacles to a final peace deal remain—particularly Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s reluctance to commit to a full military withdrawal.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on October 13 urged Trump and other mediators of the Gaza accord to “closely monitor Israel’s actions and ensure it refrains from further aggression against our people.”
Despite such concerns, the U.S. leader expressed strong confidence that the ceasefire would hold. Standing alongside President Sisi in Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump said discussions on the next stages of the plan “have already begun.”