‘Final Opportunity’ for Gaza Stability as Leaders Convene at Sharm el-Sheikh
Egypt hosts high-level talks with the US president and regional partners to turn a fragile Gaza ceasefire into a longer-term framework on governance, borders, and reconstruction
[SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT] As evening settled over the Red Sea, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi clasped US President Donald Trump’s hand beneath a row of national flags at Sharm el-Sheikh Airport. The two leaders exchanged a few words before heading to the summit venue, where Egypt was set to host high-level talks aimed at turning a fragile Gaza ceasefire into a roadmap for long-term stability. Security was tight across the resort city, with motorcades sweeping along sealed roads and helicopters circling overhead as delegations prepared for what officials described as “a decisive round” of diplomacy.
The summit capped weeks of negotiations that began with a US-brokered memorandum signed in Cairo by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. Neither Israel nor Hamas attended, but both signaled acceptance through Egyptian intelligence channels.
“Egypt succeeded in creating a qualitative shift in the course of the Israeli war on Gaza—a conflict that could have dragged on much longer,” Mohammed Ibrahim, a security analyst involved in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, told The Media Line. “From the very beginning, Cairo moved to broker a truce that would pave the way toward a final settlement for Gaza and the wider Palestinian issue.”
This is a final opportunity to bring stability to Gaza and the region
Standing beside President Trump, Sisi invoked Sadat’s legacy. “This is a final opportunity to bring stability to Gaza and the region.” Trump closed the summit later: “It took 3,000 years to get to this point—and it’s going to hold up, too.”
“We are a full partner in the Israeli-Palestinian file, not merely a mediator,” Ibrahim said. “The pursuit of a comprehensive, lasting, and just peace will open the door to greater economic benefits—not only for Egypt but for all the peoples of the region.”
Much of Monday’s framework echoes proposals Egypt has refined since early summer 2024: phased reconstruction tied to demilitarization, supervised border crossings, and limited Palestinian Authority administrative roles.
The Arab counter-proposal presented in Riyadh in February, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, rejected proposals attributed to President Trump to relocate Gazans to Sinai. That red line survived: Palestinians stay in Gaza, reconstruction proceeds in place, and governance remains Palestinian under international supervision.
“The signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration represented one of the key guarantees of international will to implement the remaining parts of President Trump’s plan,” Sayed Ahmed, an expert in international relations, told The Media Line. “The strong international presence served as a living testimony to an agreement binding on all parties, especially the United States, as the only power capable of restraining Israeli violations and pressuring Netanyahu to comply.”
But the governance structure troubles Cairo. Leaked designs for the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA) show a foreign-led administration: an International Board chaired by a “senior political executive,” an Executive Secretariat with commissioners overseeing security and humanitarian affairs, and a Palestinian “service delivery” tier with limited authority.
Egyptian sources reject proposals to base GITA operations in El-Arish or Rafah in North Sinai, viewing this as a sovereignty threat. Palestinian statehood language remains aspirational, not binding, and Israeli withdrawal is tied to demilitarization milestones—a structure critics say decouples Gaza from the West Bank.
“While the ceasefire has been declared, several sensitive issues remain unresolved in the plan’s second and third stages—including the disarmament of Palestinian factions, Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the management of Gaza’s administration and borders,” Ahmed said. “Though these matters will require extended dialogue, the most significant outcome of the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit lies in its ability to shift the entire context of the conflict.”
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Ahmed argues the summit introduces “a new logic—one based on understanding, coordination, and the management of conflict rather than escalation.” He also identifies a tension: “Although all parties claim to seek ‘peace,’ there is a fundamental gap between the Palestinian, Egyptian, Arab, and international understanding of peace and that of the Israeli government.”
Peace in Gaza and stability in Sinai are linked. Actions by armed groups in northern Sinai have ebbed since 2018, yet cross-border instability persists.
Ibrahim dismissed border security concerns. “As for the issue of borders, it is not a major concern for us,” he said. “We are fully capable of protecting them through our national security capabilities, as well as through our strong relations with all parties and our ability to reach understandings on every matter—including border security.”
US officials praised Egypt’s “exceptional counterterrorism coordination” during working sessions. Egyptian intelligence pushed for expanded information-sharing and tighter maritime controls during reconstruction—arrangements that would entrench Cairo’s role as Gaza’s external gatekeeper.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have quietly backed Cairo’s initiative, viewing Egyptian stewardship as a counterweight to Qatari influence and a safeguard against an open-ended Hamas role in postwar governance.
“From my vantage point in Abu Dhabi, the regional reaction to the agreement is positive but muted,” said Marc J. Sievers, director of AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding. “There’s an understanding that much can still go wrong—especially in the next stage of disarming Hamas and removing them from Gaza as a governing force.”
“It’s been evident for months that the region’s patience with Hamas has run out,” Sievers told The Media Line. “The UAE was the first to say publicly that Hamas must release the hostages, disarm, and give up control of Gaza—a position now shared by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Morocco, and Turkey.”
Saudi Arabia, working with French President Emmanuel Macron, had attempted to leverage that consensus into global recognition of a Palestinian state. Those efforts were overtaken by Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha and President Trump’s decision to advance his own plan.
“That Israeli strike had a massive effect on Qatar’s leadership,” Sievers explained. “It turned Doha’s dual role—as mediator with Hamas and partner with Washington—from an asset into a liability. As Trump unveiled his 20-point plan, Hamas lost the backing of both Qatar and Turkey. Under military pressure and growing isolation, the group agreed to release all hostages in exchange for prisoner releases, but not to disarm or relinquish power.”
For now, Hamas’ regional standing has collapsed
“For now,” Sievers concluded, “Hamas’ regional standing has collapsed.”
At 6:30 p.m., Sisi opened bilateral talks with President Trump. “He’s done a fantastic job to stop the war in Gaza,” Trump told reporters. Sisi replied: “You are the only one who can stop the war.”
“In Egypt, there’s genuine excitement about President Trump’s attendance and President el-Sisi’s role in achieving the agreement,” Sievers said. “But elsewhere the mood is cautious optimism and relief, tempered by awareness of the complexity of what comes next.”
The 7:20 p.m. signing ceremony delivered the visual Egypt sought: Sisi, President Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani standing together. The US president was presented with the Nile Collar—Egypt’s highest state decoration.
Cairo’s stakes extend beyond ceremony. “President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emphasized that achieving sustainable peace requires addressing the root causes of the conflict, not merely managing its symptoms,” Ahmed said. “He underscored that peace must be built on the two-state solution in accordance with international law, and that any form of regional normalization, cooperation, or new security arrangements must be tied to this principle.”
Egypt rejects what Ahmed describes as “the evolving Israeli far-right agenda, which seeks to annex the West Bank and alter Gaza’s demographic composition through displacement.” The presence of European leaders who have recognized Palestinian statehood reflected Cairo’s calculation: position Egypt as architect of an international trajectory toward lasting peace, not merely a ceasefire manager.
At 11:13 a.m. Monday, Hamas handed over the remaining 20 Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Gaza. “What a happy day!” wrote Gershon Baskin, the Israeli negotiator who brokered the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange. “Contrary to what all the ‘experts’ and security officials said—Hamas has released all the living hostages.”
Egypt is moving to maintain momentum. “President el-Sisi was keen to secure President Trump’s support for convening a reconstruction conference—the most critical challenge to ensuring the success of the plan,” Ibrahim said.
Baskin insists reconstruction cannot succeed without addressing governance questions. “The discussions on the future of Gaza must involve Gazans,” he wrote in recent consultations with Gaza civil society leaders. “If the Gazans are not involved in the process of planning and implementing the plans for the rebuilding of Gaza, the process is wrong and will have a lot of obstacles on the ground.”
The urgency extends beyond logistics. “The transition Palestinian government for Gaza must be established immediately,” Baskin argued. “Whether the Americans like it or not, in order for it [to] have legitimacy it must have some legal connection to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.” Without such a framework, Hamas—which agreed to step down—has no successor to transfer power to.
“The Sharm el-Sheikh Conference reaffirmed the centrality of Egypt’s role—not only in addressing the Gaza crisis but in safeguarding the security and stability of the entire region,” Ibrahim said. “What truly matters is that our vision—aligned with that of President Trump and the leaders who took part in the conference—is to turn the page on wars and move toward a horizon of peace and prosperity.”
