CAIRO/GAZA - An international summit will be held in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, the Egyptian Presidency announced on Saturday.
The meeting will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries, the statement said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also travel to Egypt to attend the summit, the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said.
The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability, according to the statement.
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The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas entered into effect on Friday, following three days of intensive negotiations in Sharm El Sheikh between the two sides mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States.
The first phase of the plan includes Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, and the north, the opening of five crossings for aid, and the release of hostages and prisoners.
A Hamas source on Friday said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is expected to reopen in the middle of next week to allow limited movement of people, though details on operations have not been announced.
More than two years of Israeli military operations have devastated Gaza, killing over 67,000 people and triggering famine, according to Gaza's health authorities.
Also on Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed the importance of deploying international forces in Gaza, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.
In a phone conversation with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, al-Sisi reviewed all details of the recently-reached Gaza ceasefire deal, stressed the need to fully implement it, and urged an international legitimate frame to the deal via the UN Security Council.
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He invited Christodoulides to take part in the signing ceremony of the deal in Egypt, read the statement.
For his part, Christodoulides welcomed the deal, backed its implementation, and praised Egypt's efforts in this regard.
Meanwhile, the Gaza-based Civil Defense said Saturday that it has received reports of 9,500 missing persons since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, 2023.
In a statement, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to coordinate with Israeli authorities to determine their fate.
Since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas entered into effect on Friday, Civil Defense crews have recovered over 150 bodies while facing challenges in search operations due to limited equipment, Basal said.
More than 300,000 displaced residents have returned from southern Gaza to Gaza City and northern areas following the ceasefire despite an "almost complete absence" of temporary shelters, he said.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office also reported "massive destruction" affecting over 90 percent of civil infrastructure in Gaza, with about 30,000 housing units destroyed.
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It called for the immediate lifting of the blockade on the enclave and increased international support for humanitarian operations.
In a separate development, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call late Friday, during which the two sides discussed the detailed arrangements for a summit to be held in Sharm El Sheikh.
A statement released Saturday by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, without specifying the time of the summit, said Abdelatty and Rubio also discussed global participation in the summit, as well as arrangements for implementing the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
