New Delhi, Oct 13: Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and External Affairs, has arrived in Cairo as India’s special representative to the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. In a message on X, Singh said he had arrived “as special representative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” to attend the high-level meeting.
The summit is being jointly hosted by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, bringing together several world leaders to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Among those confirmed to attend are British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are also participating.
The BBC reports that President Trump will first visit Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and address the Knesset before heading to Egypt for the summit. He has declared that the “war is over” in Gaza and that the ceasefire “is going to hold,” describing himself as “good at solving wars” and “good at making peace.”
Trump said he shares a “very good” relationship with Netanyahu, calling him a “wartime president,” and praised Qatar’s role in helping facilitate the ceasefire. He described the Gaza truce as the “eighth war” he has helped end, emphasizing that his goal was “saving lives” rather than seeking recognition.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the BBC reported, Trump sounded upbeat, saying the West Asia or Middle East was entering a “new chapter.” He added that a supervisory body, to be called the Board of Peace, would soon be established to oversee Gaza’s recovery, which he described as resembling a “demolition site.” The stakes are high for Trump, who has received broad praise for brokering the ceasefire and is now seeking to secure a lasting framework for peace in the region.
Trump undecided on Tony Blair’s role in Gaza peace body
US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet decided whether former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will be part of the proposed Board of Peace that will oversee Gaza’s future, the BBC reported. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Israel, Trump said he has “always liked Tony,” but wants to ensure that Blair would be “an acceptable choice to everybody.”
He added that the board should be established quickly but that he is still assessing whether Blair would be “popular with all.” Earlier, the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, posted a photo of his meeting with Blair to discuss Gaza’s post-war future. He said the PLO is ready to work with Trump, Blair and other international partners to make the plan for ending the Gaza war and securing lasting peace a success.
Israel prepares for hostage release as families gather in Tel Aviv
Crowds have gathered at a reception point in Tel Aviv to welcome Israeli hostages expected to be released later today, two years after they were taken by Hamas, the BBC reported.
An Israeli military official told the BBC that preparations are under way for the transfer, which will follow the same procedure used in earlier operations this year. The hostages will first be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which will transfer them to a special Israel Defence Forces (IDF) squad. The IDF team will then bring them to the Re’im military base in southern Israel, where families will be waiting at designated reception points. From there, the hostages will be flown by helicopter to hospitals for medical checks and treatment.
