Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt – As the sun rises over Egypt’s southern peninsula, world leaders are converging on the quiet coastal town of Sharm El-Sheikh for a historic Gaza peace summit. Scheduled for October 13, 2025, the summit comes at a moment of profound transition in the region, with the long-awaited release of Israeli hostages from Gaza and a sweeping prisoner exchange set to unfold in tandem with the talks.
Preparations in Sharm El-Sheikh have been underway for days, as security tightens and anticipation builds. According to BBC, US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-chair the summit, joined by a formidable roster of global leaders: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected to attend, as reported by Axios and confirmed by senior Palestinian officials.
This high-stakes gathering comes on the heels of a breakthrough ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. As reported by CNN, 20 hostages held in Gaza—believed to be alive—are scheduled for release early Monday. They will be transferred to the Red Cross before returning to Israel. In exchange, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israel will be freed, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 detained after October 7, 2023. The exchange is seen as a pivotal step, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing it as “the beginning of a new era—a path of healing, a path of rebuilding.”
Netanyahu, in a recorded statement shared Sunday evening, reflected the nation’s complex emotions: “This is an emotional evening. An evening of tears. An evening of joy, because tomorrow sons will return to their homeland. Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new era – a path of healing, a path of rebuilding.” He cautioned, however, that “the military campaign is not over” and warned that Israel’s adversaries “are trying to recover in order to attack us again.”
Israel’s military chief, Eyal Zamir, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that “complex decisions” have been made to safeguard the remaining hostages and that Israel’s “military pressure” and “complementary diplomatic measures” have amounted to a “victory over Hamas.” Zamir added, “We will continue to act in order to shape a security reality that ensures the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians.”
For many Israeli families, the upcoming release is bittersweet. Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was initially believed to be among the hostages but later declared dead, shared with CNN the uncertainty and heartbreak: “It’s like a suspended situation. There’s the anxiety that some of the 28 families will not be reunited with their loved ones and will be still stuck in this chapter.”
On the Palestinian side, the cost of the conflict has been staggering. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that at least 117 Palestinians have died in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the two-year death toll to at least 67,806, with 170,066 injured. The ceasefire has allowed the recovery of bodies from the rubble, but the devastation is everywhere. As displaced Palestinians return to Gaza City, they find neighborhoods flattened and infrastructure in ruins. Jawad Mahmoud Ajjour, an 80-year-old resident, told CNN that he had “never seen that level of destruction” in his lifetime, despite witnessing wars in 1956 and 1967.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation remains dire. Aid trucks are queued at the Rafah border crossing, poised to deliver food and supplies to southern Gaza. But, as the World Food Programme’s director explained to CNN, damaged infrastructure makes it difficult to distribute aid at scale. “We need to make sure that we’re able to remove some of the rubble and clear roads so that the trucks could move at scale,” he said.
Hospitals on both sides are bracing for the aftermath of the exchange. In Israel, Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital is preparing to treat returning hostages for malnutrition, orthopedic injuries from months spent underground, and psychological trauma. Dr. Eli Sprecher, the hospital’s CEO, told CNN that his staff are “all very much looking forward to that truly historical moment.” Dr. Inbal Reuveni, vice chair of psychiatry, emphasized the importance of creating a “safe space” for the hostages to reunite with their families. Hospital rooms have been adapted to allow family members to stay overnight, and even a playground has been set up for children among the returnees.
On the diplomatic front, US President Trump’s itinerary is packed. According to CNN, he will first address Israel’s Knesset, meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and speak with families of the hostages. The Knesset committee has approved a special session to honor Trump for his efforts, with a spokesperson noting, “we’re all eagerly waiting to thank Trump during tomorrow’s visit for everything he’s done.” Vice President JD Vance clarified that the US is not planning to put troops on the ground in Israel or Gaza, but will monitor the peace proposal through existing central command troops in the region.
After his time in Israel, Trump will fly to Egypt for the summit, where he and President Sisi will lead discussions on Gaza’s future. Leaders from more than 20 countries are expected, including confirmed delegations from France, Britain, Jordan, and Germany. Iran, despite receiving an invitation, will not send a delegation, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein Al-Sheikh met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday to discuss a future vision for Gaza, including solidifying the ceasefire, allowing humanitarian aid, releasing hostages and prisoners, and moving toward reconstruction. Blair, who has reemerged as a possible figure in Gaza’s reconstruction, affirmed his readiness to work with Trump and other parties to “solidify the ceasefire, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, release hostages and prisoners, and move toward recovery and reconstruction.”
Still, challenges remain. The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office reported “complex obstacles” in finalizing the list of prisoners to be released, promising that “all details related to the deal will be announced as soon as the negotiations are concluded and the final lists up to the last name are approved.”
Pope Leo XIV, speaking after mass in St. Peter’s Square, called the ceasefire “a spark of hope in the Holy Land,” and urged all parties to “courageously continue on the path towards a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
As markets begin to bustle again in Gaza and families on both sides prepare for reunions—some joyful, others tinged with loss—the world watches. Monday’s events may not bring immediate resolution, but they mark a turning point. The hope, expressed by so many, is that this fragile peace will be the foundation for something lasting in a region too long defined by heartbreak and division.
