President Donald Trump joined the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey on Tuesday in signing a declaration aimed at cementing the Gaza ceasefire, as dozens of world leaders gathered for a summit in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

“The document is going to spell out rules and regulations and lots of other things,” Trump told reporters before the signing, adding twice that “it’s going to hold up.” The White House later described the accord on social media as the “Gaza Peace Plan for peace in the Middle East.”

The declaration, signed by Trump alongside Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, comes amid efforts to finalize the agreement between Israel and Hamas that secured the release of hostages and an end to fighting.

Sissi opened the summit with brief remarks introducing Trump, calling the ceasefire “a foundation for stability” and reaffirming that a two-state solution remains “the only path” toward lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He said Egypt would work with the United States and regional partners to launch a reconstruction and development conference for Gaza “in the coming days.”

Trump, speaking alongside Sissi before their bilateral meeting, praised the Egyptian president as “a powerful leader” and credited him with bringing a wide coalition of nations to the summit. “They wanted to get Gaza straightened out. They wanted to get the whole thing straightened out,” Trump said. “It got to a point where it was just crazy.”

He added that global fears of “World War Three starting in the Middle East” were no longer warranted.

Roughly 35 foreign leaders attended the gathering, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, marking his first in-person meeting with Trump since the president’s return to office. Netanyahu was notably absent, having withdrawn at the last minute, citing the start of Simchas Torah, though diplomatic sources said Erdogan and several other Muslim leaders had threatened to boycott the event if Netanyahu attended.

Trump stood before a “Peace 2025” backdrop as he greeted each visiting leader individually before a group photo. The U.S. president also thanked mediators for helping reach the ceasefire, which includes the return of remaining deceased hostages held by Hamas. Israel has so far received only four of the 28 bodies expected.

“It’s a pretty gruesome task,” he said. “They know the areas [where they’re located] and they’re doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they’re going to be finding quite a few of them.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Egypt’s mediation efforts, saying the deal represents “one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years.”

“It’s not simply about restoring Gaza,” Rubio said. “It is about transforming the region.”

Special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has led negotiations alongside Jared Kushner, said implementation work had already begun and that he and his team would “be in Egypt quite a bit” in the weeks ahead.

Sissi, in his closing remarks, said Egypt would ensure the agreement’s full implementation, including the release of remaining hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Asked whether Sissi would join the “Board of Peace” that Trump’s plan envisions to oversee Gaza’s transitional government, Trump replied, “I’d like to have him on the board. I’d like to have many leaders on the board.”

“We have a long list of applicants,” Witkoff added.

While Iran was not represented at the summit, Trump predicted Tehran would “make a deal” with the United States under continued sanctions pressure, despite public denials.

“Everybody that we invited came,” Trump said — not mentioning Netanyahu’s absence — as leaders posed for the final photo marking the formal launch of the Gaza peace plan.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)