SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Oct 13 (MENA) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement to end the war in Gaza closes a painful chapter in human history and opens the door to a new era of peace and stability in the Middle East, offering a better future for the region’s war-weary peoples.
In a press conference following the signing of the agreement to end the Gaza war, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump and a number of world leaders in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh, Sisi said:
“I welcome you all to the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, at this historic moment in which we have witnessed the birth of hope through the agreement to end the war in Gaza. This agreement marks the closing of a painful chapter in human history and the beginning of a new era of peace and stability in the Middle East, giving the region’s peoples a better tomorrow.”
“Today we welcome courageous, peace-loving leadership, whose efforts contributed to ending the conflict and achieving security and development in our region and beyond,” he added. “Allow me to invite U.S. President Donald Trump to join the ranks of world leaders advocating for peace.”
Sisi continued: “We deeply value your leadership during this critical moment, and your initiative to propose a plan that helped end this tragic war, which cost humanity dearly. We also thank our partners in the United States, Turkey and Qatar for their sincere efforts. We reaffirm our full support for the implementation of this plan, which paves the way for a political horizon to realize the two-state solution—the only path toward meeting the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to end the conflict and live in security.”
Addressing Trump directly, Sisi said: “Mr. President, you have proven that true leadership lies not in launching wars, but in ending them. We trust your leadership to ensure the implementation of this agreement and your broader plan. Let the Gaza war be the last war in the Middle East.”
Sisi said Egypt pioneered the path to peace in the region nearly five decades ago, when late President Anwar Sadat made a historic and unprecedented visit to Jerusalem in November 1977. “Since that moment, Egypt opened a new era and gave future generations the gift of peace, proving that security cannot be achieved through military might alone,” he said.
“Today, Egypt, along with its sisterly Arab and Islamic countries, reaffirms that peace remains our strategic choice,” Sisi said. “Experience over the past decades has shown that this choice must be rooted in justice and equality. Just as all peoples in the region enjoy their right to independent national states, the Palestinian people are no exception. They too have the right to determine their own future—free from the shadow of war—and to live in freedom in their own independent state, side by side with Israel, in peace, security and mutual recognition.”
Sisi emphasized that peace is not made by governments alone, but by peoples who come to believe that yesterday’s adversaries can be tomorrow’s partners. “On this occasion, I send a message to the people of Israel: Let us make this historic moment a new beginning for a life built on justice and peaceful coexistence. Let us work together for a better future for our children. Extend your hands so we can join together to achieve lasting and just peace for all peoples of the region.”
“Mr. President,” he added, addressing Trump again, “we must reflect on the scenes of joy and relief seen in the streets of Gaza, in Israel, and around the world after this agreement was reached, thanks to your wise initiative. This is further proof that peace is the peoples’ shared choice. We appreciate your interest in restoring life to Gaza, and Egypt will work alongside the United States and in coordination with all partners in the coming days to lay the groundwork for reconstruction without delay.”
Sisi announced Egypt’s intention to host a conference on early recovery, reconstruction, and development in Gaza, building on Trump’s peace plan, in order to restore hope and provide basic needs for Palestinians in their homeland. “Peace is not complete unless it is followed by rebuilding after destruction,” he said.
“We look forward to a brighter future for our region—where cities are built on hope, not buried memories,” Sisi said. “We have a unique historic opportunity, perhaps our last, to achieve a Middle East free of threats to its stability and progress; a region where all peoples enjoy peace, dignity, secure borders and protected rights; a Middle East immune to terrorism and extremism; a Middle East free of all weapons of mass destruction. This is the new Middle East that Egypt aspires to realize in cooperation with regional and international partners.”
Sisi concluded by stressing that today’s agreement must be upheld and fully implemented, including the realization of the two-state solution in a way that reflects a shared vision of cooperation and integration among all peoples and states of the region.
At the end of his remarks, Sisi announced Egypt’s decision to award President Trump the “Order of the Nile,” the country’s highest and most prestigious honor, in recognition of his efforts, noting it is granted to heads of state and those who have rendered great service to humanity.
