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Iran Abstains from Sharm El Sheikh Summit on Gaza
Despite receiving an official invitation, Iran has decided not to participate in the upcoming Sharm El Sheikh International Summit scheduled for Monday, according to Tasnim News Agency citing an informed source. The event, hosted by the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, aims to develop a future vision for the Gaza Strip following an agreement to ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The summit is organized with the participation of over 20 countries, along with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. It is held under the title "Sharm El Sheikh for Peace." The meeting is chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump, with the goal of enhancing efforts to end the conflict and restore stability in the region.
Senior government leaders participate in the summit, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Union Council President Antonio Costa. This summit marks a historic turning point after two years of conflicts and disputes in the area.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced that it would not participate in the official signing of the agreement. Media outlets have reported that the signing will be exclusively between mediators and U.S. and Israeli officials, while formal negotiations will be conducted separately.
The agreement includes arrangements to exchange 47 captives, along with the remaining detainees in Gaza who were kidnapped during the October 2023 attack, as well as the repatriation of a hostage’s remains held since 2014. Israel, in turn, will release 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 other detainees from Gaza, representing a step toward de-escalation and rebuilding trust between the parties.
