From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 13, 2025
Trump at Egypt summit says Hamas looking for hostages’ bodies; Sissi: We’re committed to bringing them back
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi give remarks to the press before holding a bilateral meeting ahead of the summit of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh on Gaza.
Trump hails Sissi as a “powerful leader,” claiming Egypt has no crime because “they don’t play games.”
He also praises Sissi for bringing a long list of countries to participate in today’s summit and for coaxing Hamas to agree to his Gaza ceasefire proposal.
The Egyptian Presidency has released the official list of nations and officials slated to participate in the upcoming Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit.
Heads of State/Government:
????Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
????US President Donald Trump
????King Abdullah II of Jordan… pic.twitter.com/BzIdYi9kyU— Daily News Egypt (@DailyNewsEgypt) October 13, 2025
While Iran won’t be joining the summit, Trump predicts that Tehran will buckle under the pressure of sanctions and “make a deal” with the US, even if leaders are currently publicly claiming that they’re not interested in one.
Trump says Hamas is looking for the bodies of the remaining deceased hostages that it has yet to return. Hamas only returned 4 of the 28 bodies of killed hostages today — far fewer than anticipated.
“It’s a pretty gruesome task… They know the areas [where they’re located] and… they’re doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they’ll going to be finding quite a few of them,” Trump says.
Asked by reporters when the talks on phase two of the Gaza deal will begin, Trump says those talks have already started.
“The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other. You start cleaning up [Gaza],” he says, noting the “wealthy countries” who will be participating in the Sharm el-Sheikh conference later today.
“Everybody that we invited came,” Trump says, not mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will not be attending, despite receiving a last-minute invitation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then hails Egypt’s efforts in bringing about the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, adding that they’ll continue playing a critical role in its implementation.
“It’s not simply about restoring Gaza. It is about transforming the region,” Rubio says, calling today “one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years.”
Asked what his and Jared Kushner’s role will be moving forward, US special envoy Steve Witkoff says they’ve already begun working on implementation and will be in Egypt “quite a bit” moving forward.
Sissi then welcomes Trump to Sharm el-Sheikh and hails his efforts in bringing about the Gaza ceasefire. He notes that he has long believed that Trump was the only person capable of ending the war and bringing about peace in the region.
The Egyptian leader says he is working to ensure that the Gaza deal is fully implemented, including by securing the release of all deceased hostages and surging aid into Gaza.
Asked whether Sissi will serve on the Board of Peace, which will oversee the transitional Palestinian government of technocrats that Trump’s plan envisions administering Gaza moving forward, Trump responds, “I’d like to have him on the board. I’d like to have many leaders on the board.”
“We have a long list of applicants,” Witkoff adds.
The Times of Israel Community.