Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh has arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to represent India at the Gaza Peace Summit at Sharm El-Sheikh.
In a post on X, the Minister said, “Arrived in the historic city of Cairo as the special representative of Prime Minister @narendramodi to attend the Gaza Peace Summit at Sharm el-Sheikh.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday welcomed the agreement on the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan between Israel and Hamas. In a post on his official X handle, PM Modi said: “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu. We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace.”
According to the Egyptian Presidency, the summit will be held on Monday in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
The meeting, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, will bring together leaders from more than 20 countries. The summit seeks to end the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, advance peace efforts, and usher in a new phase of regional stability and security, the Egyptian Presidency said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace. “The Secretary-General is travelling to Egypt to attend, on Monday, the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit for Peace. He is expected back at UN Headquarters on Wednesday,” his office stated in a brief note to correspondents.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held in Gaza for a fourth consecutive day on Monday ahead of the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as a scheduled address by US President Donald Trump to Israel’s parliament.
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he departed Washington for Israel. When asked about the region’s prospects, he added: “I think it’s going to normalise.”
(with inputs from Reuters/IANS)