The Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt marked a momentous step in the region’s turbulent recent history, gathering over 30 world leaders to witness and endorse a framework that, on the surface, promises renewed stability for Gaza and Palestine. The summit’s signature achievement was a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered with the decisive intervention of US President Donald Trump. The deal facilitated the release of 20 Israeli hostages, held for over two years since the October 2023 massacre, in exchange for 1,969 Palestinian detainees, part of a series of truce agreements coordinated with the Red Cross.
The summit saw Trump joined by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Qatar’s Emir, signing a document charting Gaza’s future. Humanitarian optimism flourished as United Nations aid, water, sanitation, and nutritional support began flowing into Gaza for the first time in seven months, with plans to support half a million residents and reconstruct infrastructure battered by years of blockade and war.
Reconstruction, described by Trump as the “easiest part” given his real estate background, faces immense challenges. The World Bank estimates at least £50 billion and 54 million tonnes of rubble to be cleared before even basic normality resumes. The summit’s immediate effect is the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and a fragile stability, but the implementation of the 20-point peace plan remains contingent on further political manoeuvre and international cooperation, particularly from regional Muslim states whose support proved pivotal in isolating Hamas and nudging both parties to the table.
Hamas: Role, demands and defiance
For Hamas, the ceasefire is a forced concession rather than a voluntary move towards reconciliation. While the group nominally agreed to Trump’s disarmament framework, it swiftly deviated from the plan, recalling thousands of fighters to reclaim internal control and launching factional purges. The release of hostages and the acceptance of humanitarian aid did not equate to a political surrender; instead, Hamas has categorically ruled out any role in governing post-war Gaza and dismissed outright any notion of complete disarmament, calling such demands out of the question.
With local power vacuums and rival armed clans such as Dogmush now contesting territory, the potential for violent reprisals and internecine strife looms large. The prospect of an Arab-led peacekeeping or stabilisation force exists, yet the United States and Britain have refused to deploy ground troops, making success depend on robust regional effort and durable monitoring by nations like Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.
The wider Palestinian community, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of reconstruction and the slow crawl towards self-determination, a goal the summit’s framework promises but may not deliver quickly or easily, especially given lingering opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has historically resisted Palestinian statehood while Hamas retains influence.
Trump’s strategy and the credit conundrum
President Trump has used the Gaza ceasefire and peace plan to bolster his reputation as a global negotiator, drawing comparisons, often unflattering to Muhammad bin Tughluq, the medieval Sultan of Delhi notorious for unpredictable and controversial policies. The summit in Egypt saw Trump trade both jibes and goodwill with fellow leaders, high-fiving Turkish President Erdogan and addressing Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif, who nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation between India and Pakistan.
Trump’s penchant for claiming credit was on full display, as he reiterated his role in preventing war between India and Pakistan, citing the episode as one of eight major conflicts he purportedly helped resolve. Yet, his track record is mixed; while his personal force and willingness to pressure allies catalysed the Middle East breakthrough, similar efforts elsewhere – notably in Ukraine – have stalled, suggesting a pattern of ambitious intervention with uneven results.
World leaders at Sharm el-Sheikh and the Israeli Knesset expressed caution about the deal’s durability, mindful of Trump’s tendency to bulldoze through diplomatic protocols. Egyptian President el-Sissi’s symbolic conferral of the Order of the Nile underscored the sense of urgency and finality, the last chance for regional peace. On social and political fronts, the peace process remains deeply divisive, fuelling protests and political realignment in Britain and beyond, while aid organisations like the UN and the Red Cross stress that challenges in humanitarian logistics and local governance will persist for months, if not years.
Why Modi skipped the summit?
Prime Minister Modi chose to skip the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza Peace Summit and instead sent Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh as India’s representative. This decision was driven by a combination of strategic and diplomatic factors, most notably the presence of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the summit. In the context of recent heightened tensions, including terror attacks linked to Pakistan and India's strong diplomatic measures in response New Delhi was keen to avoid any unintended diplomatic encounters or photo opportunities with the Pakistani leadership.
Some analysts have also interpreted India’s lowered representation as a measured signal of strategic distance, doubting the summit’s utility when its agenda was widely perceived as a platform for US President Trump to claim diplomatic credit, rather than advancing substantive changes for Gaza.
Gaza and Palestine now stand at a crossroads, with hope rekindled yet overshadowed by uncertainty: the promise of peace hangs on the precarious balance of regional alliances, local grievances and the unpredictable calculus of a president for whom taking credit is both an art and a distraction.
Israel erupts in joy as final hostages return
The hostage exchange, which freed all 20 of the remaining living hostages represented the biggest step toward ending the two-year war in Gaza since an earlier ceasefire was broken. This war has tragically cost the lives of nearly 68,000 Palestinians and nearly 2,000 Israelis.
Maharashtra connection
Israel has a unique connection with Maharashtra. Israel’s connection with Maharashtra is rooted in history and is manifest in both migration and cooperation. The Bene Israel community, originating from the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, began significant emigration to Israel after 1948 and approximately 12,000 members migrated, joining the new Jewish state. Today, the Bene Israel population is around 80,000, with the majority tracing their heritage to Maharashtra.
