UN secretary-general to Egypt for crucial Gaza peace summit

United Nations: UN Secretary-General António Guterres will travel to Egypt to take part in the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit for Peace on Monday, the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General confirmed.

“The Secretary-General is traveling to Egypt to attend on Monday the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit for Peace. He is expected back at UN Headquarters on Wednesday,” the office said in a brief note to correspondents.

According to the Egyptian Presidency, the summit will be held in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump. It will bring together leaders from over 20 countries to seek an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, strengthen peace and stability efforts in the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and cooperation, the Egyptian Presidency stated.

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday, following three days of intensive negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States.

The first phase of the agreement includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, and northern areas; the reopening of five crossings for humanitarian aid; and the exchange of hostages and prisoners.

A Hamas source said on Friday that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is expected to reopen in the middle of next week to allow limited movement of people, though operational details have yet to be announced.

IANS