On October 17, 2025, a high-level diplomatic meeting in New Delhi signaled the growing convergence of interests between Egypt and India, as Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed their nations’ strategic partnership. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the talks focused on expanding cooperation across political, economic, and security fields, reflecting a steady upward trajectory in bilateral ties. Abdelatty, delivering greetings from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, underscored Egypt’s intent to host the eighth session of the Egyptian–Indian Joint Committee in Cairo during the first half of 2026—a move aimed at broadening the scope of collaboration between the two countries.
Economic cooperation was a central theme. Abdelatty outlined Egypt’s ambitious goal to raise trade volume with India to $12 billion within five years, highlighting recent economic reforms such as a flexible exchange rate and monetary policy adjustments. These measures, he noted, have led to improved credit ratings and strengthened investor confidence in Egypt’s market. The ministers also explored ways to boost collaboration on connectivity and international trade corridors, with Abdelatty emphasizing Egypt’s strategic geographic position linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, and the pivotal role of the Suez Canal in global commerce.
The meeting came at a pivotal moment for both nations, as India prepares to assume the presidency of the BRICS group in 2026. Abdelatty congratulated Modi on this milestone and expressed Egypt’s support for India’s leadership within the bloc. Both sides signaled their intention to deepen cooperation within BRICS, signaling a shared vision for a multipolar world order.
But the shadow of conflict in the Middle East loomed large over the discussions. The Israeli war on Gaza, and the international efforts to broker peace, featured prominently. Abdelatty briefed Modi on the outcomes of the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace and Egypt’s two-year mediation efforts—conducted in coordination with the United States, Qatar, and other regional partners—to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He called on all parties to fully adhere to the deal, stressing that stability in Gaza hinges on the faithful implementation of the agreement.
Cairo’s vision for postwar Gaza was laid out in detail: arrangements for governance and security, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and a comprehensive reconstruction initiative. To that end, Egypt will host the Early Recovery and Reconstruction Conference in November 2025, aiming to coordinate the massive task of rebuilding the war-torn Gaza Strip. Modi, for his part, commended Egypt’s “tireless efforts” and praised the outcomes of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry.
Abdelatty also welcomed India’s participation in the summit, stressing the urgent need to establish a political horizon via the two-state solution. He reiterated Egypt’s position: the Palestinian people must be able to exercise their right to self-determination and establish an independent state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Beyond Gaza, the ministers’ agenda included regional flashpoints such as Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, and Yemen. Co-chairing the inaugural Egypt–India Strategic Dialogue with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, Abdelatty and his counterpart agreed on the pressing need to reform global institutions, especially the United Nations Security Council. Both criticized the UNSC’s inaction, which, they argued, has allowed humanitarian crises to escalate unchecked from Khartoum to Gaza.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic push for peace in Gaza has gained an unexpected endorsement from American pop culture. On October 18, 2025, late-night host Bill Maher, speaking on HBO’s “Real Time,” offered rare praise for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s role in brokering the Gaza peace deal. “I think you’ve gotta give credit where credit is due. I mean, a lot of people tried to pull this off. He did,” Maher said, according to Fox News. Maher, typically a fierce critic of Trump, acknowledged the magnitude of the achievement: “After two years, the Palestinians are returning to Palestine, the hostages are coming back to Israel, and everyone’s blown away that Trump pulled it off.”
Earlier in October, the White House finalized an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end years of conflict in Gaza, with Trump and his team instrumental in brokering the deal. Hamas released the final 20 living hostages and began returning the bodies of those killed, while Israel pulled back its forces in Gaza to an agreed-upon line. Trump, appearing at the world leaders’ summit in Sharm El-Sheikh on October 13, 2025, declared, “This breakthrough that we’re here to celebrate tonight is more than the end of the war in Gaza, it’s, with God’s help, it’ll be the new beginning for an entire beautiful Middle East.”
Maher’s remarks, laced with his trademark humor, also referenced Trump’s controversial immigration policies, quipping, “If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s sending people back where they came from.” Still, he acknowledged Trump’s unique ability to win support across divides: “He is beloved in Israel more than any other president ever, for a good reason. He also won over the Arabs. He’s the only thing besides hummus they both like.”
The peace deal itself is a complex, phased 20-point plan. Trump stated that mediators will now begin work on subsequent phases, aiming to solidify a fragile ceasefire into a lasting settlement. The agreement has already yielded tangible results: the release of hostages, Israeli withdrawal from parts of Gaza, and the promise of further negotiations. Yet, as images from Tel Aviv’s Habima Square showed, where a “Welcome Back Home” sign greeted returning hostages, the sense of relief is tempered by the daunting challenges ahead.
But the peace process is fraught with obstacles. An opinion piece in Arab News on October 18, 2025, highlighted U.S. President Trump’s stern warning to Hamas: “We will find ourselves with no choice but to go in and kill them if the bloodshed continues.” This warning, prompted by reports of “field executions” of Palestinians accused of collaboration, drew condemnation from both the Palestinian Authority and France. The article argued that Trump’s pressure campaign is designed to prevent Hamas from consolidating power in Gaza and to dismantle its military infrastructure—a calculated move to ensure that the peace plan stands a chance.
The plan, the piece noted, represents Washington’s first genuine effort to end the war since October 2023, with backing from regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye. Its phased approach includes halting military strikes, initiating hostage and prisoner exchanges, and proposing a technocratic transitional government for Gaza, funded by Arab and international donors. Yet, the author warned, the estimated $70 billion needed for Gaza’s reconstruction will only materialize if donors receive ironclad guarantees that the territory will not be destroyed again.
Central to any lasting peace, the article insisted, is the political process leading toward a two-state solution—a goal championed by Saudi Arabia, France, and much of the international community. Without genuine hope for Palestinian statehood, the cycle of violence is likely to resume. The coming weeks and months will be decisive, as Arab and Islamic nations seek to transform the Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration from lofty words into coordinated action on security, reconstruction, and political reform.
As the world watches, the stakes could hardly be higher. The convergence of Egyptian-Indian diplomacy, American mediation, and regional buy-in has created a rare window of opportunity for Gaza and the broader Middle East. Whether this moment will yield sustainable peace or devolve into yet another round of crisis management remains to be seen. For now, hope—always fragile in this region—flickers anew.
