President Trump arrives in Egypt for peace summit with Middle East, European leaders

President Donald Trump arrived in Egypt for a peace summit with Middle Eastern and European leaders to mark the successful ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

The ceremony will be held at the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, where Israeli and Hamas negotiators recently hammered out the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with U.S. and Arab mediators.

The American president departed for Egypt shortly after delivering a speech to the Israeli Knesset and meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-chair the ceremony. President Trump credits al-Sisi, the Arab Gulf state of Qatar, and Turkey for their central roles in securing the peace agreement. 

Set to join the ceremony are at least nine European leaders, such as U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer,  French President Emmanuel Macron, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are also on the guest list. 

The U.S. president extended a last minute invitation to the Israeli prime minister to the summit, but Netanyahu declined, citing the upcoming Jewish holiday.