Starmer heading to world leaders summit to mark Gaza peace plan

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to join Donald Trump and other world leaders at a peace summit in Egypt as part of efforts to secure the fragile ceasefire agreed in Gaza.

The Prime Minister will travel to Sharm El-Sheikh for the gathering, which Cairo said would be co-chaired by the US leader and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on Monday.

A “signing ceremony” for the Gaza peace plan will take place at the event to mark a turning point for the Middle East as the truce enters its initial stages, Downing Street said.

Sir Keir will pay “particular tribute” to Mr Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in “bringing us to this point” before calling for  “swift progress towards phase two”, No 10 said.

French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Saturday.

The 20-point plan brokered by the US President calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel.

An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside the enclave.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

Under the terms of the agreement, the first phase of the plan is expected to see remaining hostages returned to their families and Palestinian prisoners released by Monday morning.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said there are no plans to send British troops to be part of the multinational force that will monitor the truce.

About 200 US troops have arrived in Israel, where they are expected to set up a centre to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid and provide security assistance, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.

The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.

The United Nations and many independent experts consider the ministry’s figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.