Egypt peace summit set for Saturday

Egypt will hold a summit on the Gaza crisis on Saturday amid growing fears of a wider Middle East war, but the absence of a top official from Israel’s main ally, the US, and some other leaders has dampened expectations for what it can achieve.

The hastily-convened Cairo Peace Summit as the conflict still rages will bring together several Arab and European heads of state and government, alongside foreign ministers.

They will meet as Israel readies a ground assault on Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 people. More than 4,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counteroffensive, amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Egypt has said little about the aims of the gathering, beyond an October 15 statement by the Egyptian presidency that the summit would cover recent developments involving the crisis in Gaza and the future of the Palestinian issue.

“There is no precise overview of the participants so far. Much is still in flux,” said one European source.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend, while there has been no official word on whether French President Emmanuel Macron will go.

In a statement confirming he will attend, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the summit will discuss the ongoing escalation of the conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip, the urgent need for humanitarian support and make a call for the resumption of the peace process.

Arab countries have voiced anger at Israel’s unprecedented bombardment and siege of Gaza, home to 2.3-million people.

European countries have struggled to settle on a united approach to the crisis, beyond condemning Hamas’ attack, after days of confusion and mixed messaging.

Egypt has been trying to channel humanitarian relief to Gaza through the Rafah crossing, the one access point not controlled by Israel, but aid has piled up on the Egyptian side.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday Egyptians in their millions would reject the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai, adding that any such move would turn the Egyptian peninsula into a base for attacks against Israel.

Egypt has said it will not accept any mass displacement of Gazans into Sinai, reflecting Arab fears that Palestinians could again flee or be forced from their homes en masse, as they were during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.

Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah said on October 12 they rejected forcibly displacing Palestinians and that Israel was “imposing collective punishment” on the inhabitants of Gaza by bombing civilians.

Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement that rules Gaza, after its fighters crossed the barrier around the enclave on October 7 in the deadliest day in Israel's 75-year history.

It is widely expected to launch a ground assault.

The summit is scheduled to be opened by the Egyptian president at 9am SA time on Saturday.

The list of attendees expected so far at the Cairo Peace Summit include:

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Jordanian King Abdullah
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa
British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs James Cleverly
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov
China's envoy for Middle East issues Zhai Jun
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
European Council President Charles Michel
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell

Reuters