U.S. President Donald Trump called the pact a “historic agreement,” saying “the prayers of millions have finally been answered.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, co-chairing the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting with Trump, told leaders the proposal was the region’s “last chance” for peace.
Mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey joined Trump in signing a document cementing the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Monday, Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza under the deal.
Israel dispatched buses carrying what it calls “Palestinian prisoners,” and Trump told Israel’s parliament that peace had arrived.
The agreement, reached last week, paused one of Israel’s largest operations of the war — an all-out assault on Gaza City that had been killing scores daily — and envisages a partial Israeli withdrawal.
Since then, large numbers of Palestinians have returned to shattered neighborhoods across the enclave, which Gaza health authorities say suffered 68,000 deaths from Israeli bombardment.
More than 20 leaders attended the summit, including Jordan’s King Abdullah, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the French president and the British prime minister.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also present and is slated to potentially join a “Board of Peace” overseeing interim governance in Gaza under Trump’s plan.
Trump praised the gathering as “the greatest assemblage of countries in terms of wealth and power maybe ever assembled,” urging rivals to “put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us.” He thanked Qatar, Turkey and Egypt for helping broker the truce.
El-Sisi reiterated support for a two-state solution, a formula Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly opposed. Trump’s plan does not rule out a Palestinian state but envisions an extended transition period in Gaza and reforms by the Palestinian Authority first.
European Council President Antonio Costa said a just, durable peace must be “grounded in the two-state solution,” adding the European Union stands ready to support transitional governance, recovery and reconstruction, including continued backing for the Palestinian Authority.
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Source: PAP, Euronews, Reuters