Trump and other mediators sign the Gaza peace agreement

BarcelonaUS President Donald Trump and the other mediators in the Gaza peace negotiations—Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—have signed the document formalizing the agreement that has allowed for the ceasefire in the Strip and the return of the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas. "We will sign a document that will specify many rules and regulations and many other things. It is very comprehensive," Trump said, although the contents have not been made public. "We have achieved what everyone said was impossible: peace in the Middle East."

The event took place at the summit held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh, where Trump played the role of the sole and undisputed leader of the agreement, even prevailing over the host, the Egyptian president. Before sitting down surrounded by around thirty global leaders, Trump was greeted by Al Sisi, who echoed the praise his counterpart had received throughout the day: "I was very confident that you, and only you, would be able to achieve this agreement and end the war." Trump returned the praise and emphasized that Egypt "has done a fantastic job and played a very important role" throughout the process of achieving the ceasefire agreement.

Taking advantage of the signing of Trump's peace plan, Regional and international leaders meet in Sharm al-Sheikh with the aim of transforming the current fragile humanitarian pause into a lasting and definitive ceasefire that will allow for the beginning of a broader political process. Before meeting with the thirty political representatives, the US president met with Al Sisi in a televised meeting, also accompanied by his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and his two special envoys, Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. When asked by reporters about the second phase of the plan to move toward peace, Trump assured that "it has already begun."

The first phase began to be implemented on Friday at noon, when the ceasefire went into effect and Israeli troops began to withdraw from part of the Strip. This first phase also includes the massive entry of humanitarian aid and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees, although the remains of some of the captives who died during the war have yet to be returned to Israel. For the second phase, which has begun to be negotiated, the reconstruction of the enclave, the disarmament of Hamas, and the governance of the Strip will be addressed.

Marco Rubio sought to summarize the historical significance of the moment: "This is one of the most important days for world peace in fifty years; that's no exaggeration." Trump asked him: "Only fifty?" And the Secretary of State replied: "Maybe a hundred."

The great protagonist of the summit is Trump. But other key players are also participating. Egypt, the host and historical mediator between Israel and Hamas, hopes to strengthen its position as a diplomatic bridge. Qatar, with influence over Hamas and financial capacity, is attending with the intention of guaranteeing the continuity of humanitarian aid and exploring possible prisoner exchange agreements. Jordan and Saudi Arabia demand political guarantees for the Palestinians and warn that any agreement without a political perspective would only serve to consolidate thestatus quoAnd the United Nations and the European Union provide an international presence, albeit limited given the influence of regional powers. However, neither Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu nor any other representative of the country has traveled to Egypt. Nor has any Hamas representative. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, has.

To leave no doubt as to who the star of the event is, Trump stood on a large platform, with giant letters in front of him reading "Peace 2025," and greeted all the international leaders one by one.

When Trump arrived, the Egyptian president asserted that the common goal is to achieve peace: "From the city of Sharm al-Sheikh, the will of the people meets the determination of world leaders to end the war in Gaza. All carry a single message to humanity: 'Enough war. Welcome peace.'"