A signing ceremony of the “Middle East peace plan,” the deal agreed upon by Israel and Hamas to end fighting in Gaza, is expected to take place during the meeting.
But neither Israel nor Hamas will reportedly attend the summit.
On Monday morning, Hamas is expected to release a group of Israeli hostages in exchange for the liberation of some prisoners by Israel, in accordance with the ceasefire deal reached onThursday. At the same time as the exchange, Trump will travel to Israel, deliver a speech at the Knesset, and then head to Sharm El-Sheikh to join the summit.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Hamas has told Israel that the militant group has 20 living Israeli hostages in hand and is ready to begin releasing them as early as Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter said.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told a news conference in Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon that Israel expects all 20 living hostages to be released to the Red Cross early Monday morning.
On Sunday morning, trucks carrying humanitarian aid crossed the border into the Gaza Strip after the U.N.’s humanitarian office said Israel had allowed aid to again flow to the enclave, provided the ceasefire agreement holds.
European Council President António Costa will join the peace summit in Egypt and “will represent the European Union at the ceremony of the Middle East Peace Plan,” according to a statement by his spokesperson on Sunday.
“The plan offers a real chance to build a just and sustainable peace, and the EU is fully committed to supporting these efforts and contributing to its implementation,” the spokesperson added.