PM invited to Gaza summit in Egypt today, India sends MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh as special envoy

The decision to send Singh was taken after Modi received a last-minute invitation Saturday from US President Donald Trump and Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to attend the summit at Sharm el-Sheikh.

Sources told The Indian Express that the call to send Singh was taken in light of the fact that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also expected to be at the summit. Delhi did not want to take a chance on how the situation would unfold with Trump and Sharif at the same venue, sources said.

The invitation to Modi had raised expectations of a visit by the Prime Minister to Egypt, where he could have met Trump, but Delhi appears to be cautious at this stage.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres are also expected to attend the summit.

According to the spokesperson of the Egypt Presidency, the summit will be held Monday afternoon under the joint chairmanship of al-Sisi and Trump with the participation of leaders of more than 20 countries.

“The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, strengthen efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East, and open a new page of regional security and stability,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“This summit comes in the light of US President Donald Trump’s vision to achieve peace in the region, and his relentless quest to end conflicts around the world,” it said.

Trump left for Israel and Egypt Sunday to mark the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, and urge partners in the Middle East to grab the opportunity to build durable peace in the region.

For India, the summit will be a chance to show its presence in the Middle East, demonstrate goodwill towards the Palestinian cause and boost bilateral relations with Egypt.

After Israel and Hamas agreed to the ceasefire and hostage deal on October 9, Modi had said he spoke to his “friend” Trump and congratulated him on the “success of the historic Gaza peace plan”.

The agreement was the result of indirect talks held in Egypt, marking the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave. The talks were held a day after the second anniversary of Hamas’s cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s military action in Gaza.

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