Trump signs peace documents to end war in Gaza: ‘It’s going to hold up’
President Trump on Monday signed an agreement to end the more than two-year war in Gaza.
At a signing ceremony in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Mr. Trump said people across the globe for years doubted that peace could ever be achieved in the Middle East.
“It took us 3,000 years to get to this point,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s going to hold up.”
The document was passed around to each world leader attending the summit for their signature.
The ceremony took place during a peace summit attended by leaders from more than 20 countries, including France, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, along with Arab and Muslim nations.
Representatives from Israel and Hamas did not attend Monday’s summit in Egypt. Mr. Trump had invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but he declined, citing an upcoming Jewish holiday. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, attended the summit.
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A spokesperson for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the meeting focused on the future of Gaza, including “efforts for reconstruction.”
“The meeting was held with the aim of coordinating among the participating countries regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, including efforts for reconstruction and the provision of humanitarian aid,” Mr. Sisi’s office said in a statement.
Mr. Sisi’s office said Egypt and Jordan are training Palestinian police officers while stressing that European countries also need to provide support to expand those efforts. The participating nations also discussed the importance of removing debris in Gaza and increasing the humanitarian aid getting into the territory.
The summit came as Hamas released the 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel began to release roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including some who had been sentenced to life.
It also follows Mr. Trump’s address to the Knesset, where he declared the “dawn of a new age in the Middle East.”
In Egypt, the world leaders huddled to answer major questions about what happens next and prevent the potential slide back into war, even as they all push for peace.
SEE ALSO: Trump says Phase Two of the Gaza peace plan has already begun
