On October 13, 2025, the leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye signed a declaration to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, marking a critical step toward ending a two-year war. The agreement, signed during a peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, follows a deal that has already seen the release of the last surviving Israeli hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. While the deal offers a fragile hope for peace, it comes after a devastating conflict that has left much of Gaza in ruins and its future governance and security hanging in the balance.
The Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit brought together more than twenty world leaders to solidify the ceasefire agreement. The document was signed by US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who acted as guarantors of the deal. President Trump announced "peace in the Middle East" at the summit, stating that the parties had "achieved what everybody said was impossible". Egyptian President al-Sisi described the agreement as a "glimmer of hope" that closes a painful chapter and could usher in a new era of stability for the region. Notably, representatives from both Israel and Hamas were not in attendance at the summit.
The signing of the declaration followed the most significant humanitarian breakthrough of the deal: the exchange of captives. Hamas fulfilled its initial commitment by releasing the 20 remaining surviving Israeli hostages it had held for two years. In return, Israel released 1,968 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The release of these prisoners was met with profound emotion in the West Bank and Gaza. Huge crowds gathered to welcome them home, with one freed prisoner, Mahdi Ramadan, describing the feeling as a "new birth". However, the process has not been without tension. Hamas has so far returned only four of the 28 deceased hostages, leading to accusations from an Israeli hostage families' group that this is a "blatant breach of the agreement".
The ceasefire brings relief to a Palestinian population enduring a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The two-year war has killed over 67,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities in the territory, a figure the United Nations considers credible. The conflict has triggered famine and left widespread destruction, with the World Bank and Egyptian plans estimating reconstruction costs could exceed $53 billion. A Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qassem, urged the international mediators to "continue monitoring Israel's conduct and to ensure it does not resume its aggression against our people". Major sticking points for a lasting peace remain entirely unresolved, primarily Hamas's firm refusal to disarm and the absence of a full Israeli withdrawal from the devastated territory.