Part of the peace agreement, Palestinian prisoners return to the West Bank

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SHARM EL-SHEIKH- The President of the United States , Donald Trump , signed a ceasefire document in the Gaza Strip this Monday, 13 , together with the countries that helped to mediate the truce: Egypt , Qatar and Turkey . The Republican said that the agreement places the countries as guarantors of the ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

"The document will set rules and regulations and many other things," Trump said before signing it.

The document was signed during a summit of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, which was convened by Washington and Cairo to advance discussions on the next phases of Trump's peace plan.

Before the summit began, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi said Trump was the"only one" capable of bringing peace to the region. Israel and Hamas were pressured by the United States, Arab countries, and Turkey to agree to the first phase of the ceasefire. The truce began on Friday the 10th.

But big questions remain about what will happen next, with fears of a possible return to war. The meeting reflects the international will to follow through on the agreement.

More than 20 world leaders attended the summit, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz .

Israel and Hamas have no direct contacts and were not expected to attend. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did not attend the event due to a Jewish holiday. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas did attend and congratulated Trump.

Israel has rejected the PA taking any role in Gaza, but the US president's plan envisions a revitalized Palestinian entity could take control of the territory in the future.

. Israel also released 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the deal.

A new Middle East

The Egyptian president's office said the summit aimed to "end the war" in Gaza and "open a new page of regional peace and stability" in line with Trump's vision.

Al-Sissi called for peace in the region. The Egyptian leader also said the two-state solution must be implemented, with the creation of a Palestinian state alongside an Israeli one.

Ahead of the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said it was critical that Israel and Hamas fully implement the first phase of the ceasefire agreement so that the parties, with international support, could begin negotiations on the second phase.

Abdelatty said the success of Trump's vision for Middle East peace would depend on his continued commitment to the process, including exerting pressure on the parties and deploying military forces as part of an international contingent expected to perform peacekeeping duties in the next phase.

Challenges

The next phase of the agreement will address the disarmament of Hamas, the creation of a post-war government for Gaza, and the management of the extension of Israel's withdrawal from the territory. Trump's plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.

Abdelatty noted that the international force needs a UN Security Council resolution to endorse its deployment. Egypt's foreign minister said Hamas will have no role in the transition period in Gaza. A 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, unaffiliated with any Palestinian group and approved by Israel, will govern day-to-day affairs in Gaza. The committee would receive support and oversight from a"Peace Council" proposed by Trump to oversee the implementation of the phases of his plan, Abdelatty said.

Another important issue is raising funds for Gaza's reconstruction. The World Bank and Egypt's post-war plan estimate that Gaza's reconstruction and recovery needs are $53 billion. Egypt plans to host an initial recovery and reconstruction conference for Gaza in November./com AP