From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Leaders of France, Spain, Italy to join peace summit in Egypt on Monday; Hamas won’t attend
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French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirm their attendance at an upcoming Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Monday, adding their names to the list of world leaders who will attend.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also be attending the conference, which will be chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Macron was previously reported to be heading to Egypt; he has attempted to take a leadership role in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leading a push in which a string of Western nations have recognized a Palestinian state. Israel and the US have opposed that effort.
Sanchez is an outspoken critic of Israel. Meloni recently criticized a flotilla that aimed unsuccessfully to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver a token amount of humanitarian aid there.
Axios has reported that Israel will not participate in the summit, which will occur on the same day that the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza is expected to start.
Hamas has said it will not take part. Hossam Badran, a Hamas political bureau member, told AFP in an interview that the Palestinian terror group “will not be involved.”
Hamas “acted principally through… Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during previous talks on Gaza, he said.
The Times of Israel Community.