October 19, 2025: Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt; Ceasefire’s First Major Test

This week started off on a hopeful note as world leaders convened in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for a peace summit regarding Gaza, co-chaired by Egyptian President el-Sisi and U.S. President Trump. However, later this week, violence again arose in Gaza.

On Monday, following an emotional weekend for Israelis and Palestinians, leaders from around thirty countries met in the U.S.-Egyptian co-led Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt. “A new and beautiful day is rising and now the rebuilding begins,” said President Trump at the summit, who had negotiated the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas the week before. The summit focused on the next stages of Trump’s twenty point peace plan and the future of Gaza, which Trump framed in very optimistic terms, even as Palestinians now return to find their homes, neighborhoods and cities completely obliterated. “Rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part,” Trump asserted. “We know how to build better than anybody in the world.”

Representatives from Israel and Hamas did not attend the summit. Afterwards, Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey issued “The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity”, a statement on the future of the conflict. “We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny,” the statement said. The statement did not include any specific details or an actionable framework on how to achieve peace, however.

Earlier today, the ceasefire experienced a major test. Israel reported that two of its soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants. The Palestinians attacked Israeli forces who were operating in an area where the ceasefire deal allowed them to be. According to Israel, the militants had fired an anti-tank missile at its troops. In response, Israeli forces targeted the area with strikes. Hamas said that it was “unaware of any events or clashes taking place in the Rafah area,” claiming to have lost communication with fighters there months ago. Israel escalated its attacks later in the day, striking dozens of Hamas targets throughout Gaza. Following the deaths of the soldiers, Israel also said it had temporarily halted humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.

This is not the first flare up since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas this week. On Friday, the Israeli military fired on a vehicle in Northern Gaza and killed nine people, including four children, according to a Gaza rescue service associated with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. Israel said that the vehicle had entered a zone to which the IDF had withdrawn as part of the ceasefire agreement. The “suspicious” vehicle had ignored warning shots after crossing the demarcation line, according to the IDF. Israel has warned Gazans against crossing lines and approaching troops in Israeli-controlled areas. However, many Gazans — some who lack internet and others who are lost among the ruins of the strip — do not know when they have entered such an area.

But, thankfully, the ceasefire appears to have withstood this escalation as Israel and Hamas both reaffirmed their commitment to the deal. Israel announced that aid deliveries would be resumed on Monday. The survival of the ceasefire again evoked relief in Israelis and Palestinians still recovering from the war, who pray that it will last.